POLI 345 Lecture Notes - Market Failure, Transaction Cost, Centralisation
15 Dec 2013
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Document Summary
What"s the point of theory: facts never speak for themselves. We can"t look at a problem without assumption. So part of theory is to become aware of those lenses: depending on one"s theoretical assumptions, ios can be: Forums- ios can be social environments where a bunch of social environments can happen. Resources or tools for states- rationalist idea: so theory helps us organise our thinking and realise our biases. Then once we realise this, we can ask better questions. In all of these views, ios are instruments. Actors make cost-benefit calculations in order to make decisions. What it would cost to go through ios and if those costs exceed the benefits. Neo-realism: assumption of anarchy, no ultimate authority above states. No world government to turn to so they must rely on themselves. Self-help: maximise power to ensure security, so international organisations don"t really matter- can"t bind them- that could run counter to logic of self-help.
