Liberal Institutionalism Flashcards
Why do individuals and states voluntarily cede some of their freedom to international institutions?
In order to achieve better outcomes than those arrived at in the state of nature
Why else may states create institutions? (1)
In order to reduce the governance costs associated with autonomous decision-making
Why does the way in which institutions come into being link realist and institutionalist thought?
Hegemonic powers create institutions
How do domestic politics influence international institutions?
Domestic political institutions must be supportive of membership
How do international institutions affect domestic institutions? (3)
- Often domestic requisites to joining institutions
- Joining an institution may lock domestic changes and set domestic politics on a particular policy path
- Institutions may provide legitimacy + thus make difficult domestic changes more palatable
What do Keohane and Nye argue is an important feature of world politics?
Economic interdependence
What has been the impact of globalisation? (3)
Increase in interdependence between states has increased cooperation
Why do neoliberals argue that to focus on relative gains is misguided? (3)
- Economic interdependence ensures neither side can effectively exploit the economic relationship + take advantage of the other politically
- Relative gains can be destructive as conducive to protectionism and nationalism
- To focus on distribution of benefit could increase the total benefit overall
Do neoliberals agree that states act in their own interests?
Neoliberals agree states act in their own interests, yet hold a much more optimistic view on cooperation
How do institutions help prevent states from cheating? (3)
- Prisoner’s Dilemma shows how states seek to maximise individual pay-offs
- So institutions offer a platform through which greater cooperation can be executed
- Subsequently benefitting both parties
How does Kant believe we can overcome the security dilemma?
Through
- Democratic government
- Economic interdependence
- International law and institutions
What is Kant’s theory of perpetual peace? (2)
- Democracies will rarely fight or threaten each other
- Democracies may also be more peaceful with all kinds of states
Why are democratic states more peaceful? (4)
- Shared norms and values of peaceful resolution to conflict
- System of checks and balances
- Ephemeral democratic leaders risk being voted out of office if the war is lost, or is long and costly
- So will be reluctant to fight wars
What does sustained commercial interaction require?
- Sustained commercial interaction requires exchange of information about needs + preferences
- Resulting in greater mutual understanding, empathy + mutual identity across borders
What are the different ways international institutions promote peace? (3)
- Separating or coercing norm-breakers (e.g. UN peacekeeping)
- Mediating among conflicting parties
- Reducing uncertainty by providing information
How does trade promote democracy and the creation of international institutions? (4)
- Trade typically promotes mutual prosperity
- Which contributes to the development + stability of democracy
- Democracies are more likely to join and utilise IOs
- Also IOs are increasingly involved in promoting democracy
Give an example of an international institution promoting democracy (2)
The EU
- uses powerful range of sticks + carrots to attract new member states who want to become democratic
- and to support democratic member states against overthrow within
Why was the EU created?
To break a vicious cycle of conflict + violence
What was the initial task of the EU? (3)
- Believed the breakdown of democracy had played key role in destroying peace
- WW2 could be readily blamed on authoritarian states: Germany, Italy, Japan
- So initial task = to establish stable democratic institutions
Why did dictatorships arise in the post WW1 period? (3)
- Arose largely due to Great Depression
- Millions of Germans were impoverished by unemployment + inflation in 1930s
- And turned away from democracy and towards Hitler, who promised glory and prosperity
Why did European leaders decide that the continent needed economic interdependence to underpin democracy?
So that war would be economically irrational
What did economic interchange in Europe require? (4)
- Economic interchange required organisations empowered to make rules that encouraged + protected it
- Benefits of free trade diminished if member states had radically different labour or social policies
- Meant dismantling regulatory barriers to free movement of goods, services, capital of people
- One form of economic liberalisation lead to others
What happened in the Euro Crisis? (3)
- Decisions on taxing + spending remain under national control
- Leading many Eurozone states to take on excessive public debt
- Became full-blown crisis in 2011 and remains serious threat to economic growth + even political stability
What did economic integration in Europe begin with? (3)
- Economic integration began with industries important to an economy’s war potential
- In 1951, leaders formed the European Coal and Steel Community
- To ensure that Germany could not again turn its heavy industries into a war machine
What is the impact of conflict on trade? (2)
- Trade depends on expectations of peace with the trading partner
- Violent conflict endangers access to markets, imports + capital
When does a political base have the strongest interest in preserving peaceful relations?
The larger the contribution of trade between 2 countries to their national economies, the stronger the political base that has an interest in preserving peaceful relations between them
