Lecture 8 - Social Constructivism (Finnemore / Sikkink)

Question 1

Middle-Ground Constructivism

Answer 1

Constructivist ontology (norms, ideas, identities) and positivist cause-effect epistemology

Constructivist epistemology plus strategic actor ontology

Question 2

Finnemore & Sikkink: Norms and Causal Claims

Answer 2

norms have a causal effects on interests and behaviour

Question 3

norms

Answer 3

single standard of behaviour

Question 4

interests

Answer 4

Collections of norms and mix of rules and practices

Question 5

regulative norms

Answer 5

Order, constrain behavior of actors

Question 6

constitutive norms

Answer 6

Create new actors, interests, or categories of action

Question 7

prescriptive norms

Answer 7

Define standards of „appropriate“ behavior and therefore standards to distinguish (in-)acceptable behavior.

Question 8

Types/Categories of Norms

Answer 8

regulative

constitutive

prescriptive

Question 9

norm change: neorealism

Answer 9

Systemic change when the distribution of power changes.

Question 10

norm change: social constructivism

Answer 10

systemic change when ideas and norms change

Question 11

Norm Life Cycle Model: three stages

Answer 11

1. norm emergence
2. norm cascade
3. internalization

Question 12

Stage 1: Norm emergence

Answer 12

new norms are proposed and advocated by individuals or groups who advocate for this norm

Question 13

Stage 2: Norm cascade

Answer 13

new norm starts to gain significant traction / visibility and influencial actors like states begin to adopt / promote the norm

this leads to a tipping point (1/3 of the states) where norms spread rapidly through the population

Question 14

Stage 3: Internalization

Answer 14

norms become widely accepted and internalized, becoming a standard part of behaviour / practice within the international society

Question 15

Tipping Point between stage 1 and 2

Answer 15

Critical mass of states / approximate 1/3 adopts the norm

Question 16

Which Norms Matter Under What Conditions

Answer 16

intrinsic quality: some intrinsic qualities of a norm may make it more likely to be adopted –> against vulnerable groups, equality etc.

Adjacency: resemblance of an existing norm, or somehow derivable from that make new norm more likely to be accepted

prominence: norms held by prominent states (e.g., powerful states, war victors) are likely to be adopted

World Time and symbolic events: a depression or shock can lead states to look for new norms

Question 17

2nd Wave of Norm Scholars (Amitav Acharya)

Answer 17

Interested in why do some transnational ideas and norms find greater acceptance in a particular locale than in others.

Because questions about norm diffusion in world politics are not simply about whether and how ideas matter, but also which and whose ideas matter

Looks beyond international prescriptions and stress the role of domestic political, organizational, and cultural variables in conditioning the reception of new global norms

–> Interested in how local agents reconstruct foreign norms to ensure the norms fit with the agents’ cognitive priors and identities

Question 18

Critique of First Wave Scholars = Moral Cosmopolitan Perspective

Answer 18

The moral cosmopolitanism perspective has contributed to two unfortunate tendencies

1. sets up a dichotomy of good universal / bad local norms
2. Moral cosmopolitans view norm diffusion as teaching by transnational agents, thereby downplaying the agency role of local actors

This perspective captures a significant, but small, part of norm dynamics in world politics, focusing
on principled ideas, which establish a fundamental distinction between what is good and what is
evil

Question 19

desirable norms for moral cosmopolitans

Answer 19

For moral cosmopolitans, norms making a universalistic claim about what is good are
considered more desirable and more likely to prevail than norms that are localized or
particularistic

Question 20

Norm Localization

Answer 20

Describes the process through which local actors build congruence between transnational norms and local beliefs and practices and whereby then transnational norms become incorporated into local norms

=> Process in which the role of local actors is more crucial than that of outside actors