ATS2624 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Hegemonic Stability Theory, Global Governance, Regime Theory
25 May 2018
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Global Governance – Lecture 2 – Week 2 – Realism
- realism - orthodox theory of IR - dominant tradition
• classical realism
•
o statism, survival, self-help, sovereignty
• different strands
•
o neorealism
o hegemonic stability theory
o regime theory
• key questions
•
o can international institutions constrain state behaviour and foster
cooperation
o mitigating anarchy?
- neorealism
• states behave selfishly because of the structure of the international
system - anarchy
• sceptical about global governance - contradiction? - for realists -
international system is westphalian system - states interacting with each
other
• conceptions of global governance
•
o great power competition
o states concerned with relative gains and cheating
o means for powerful states to impose their will on the weak
o institutions do not have an impact on states - no independent
existence from states - only effective if state’s support them - have
a need for them
o states are reluctant to cooperate in international institutions -
suspicious of other state’s behaviour
o arenas for acting out power relationships - Mearsheimer
o power of the great powers - institutions only reflect this power -
do not establish peace and order on their own
- institutions
• international organisation - any institution with formal procedures and
formal membership from three or more countries
• institutions/regimes - agreed rules, norms and decision making
procedures that set standards, shape expectations, constrain behaviour
and establish patterns of interaction.
• can be formalised into international agreements and embodied in
international organisation - don’t have to be
• rules that stipulate how actors interact
• can be informal or unstated
- hegemonic stability theory
• how to explain unprecedented cooperation since WWII
• not every state has the same interests - i interests are determined by the
hierarchy of power
• interest in global economy - benefits the hegemon the most
find more resources at oneclass.com
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