Liberal Institutionalism

Question 1

Why do individuals and states voluntarily cede some of their freedom to international institutions?

Answer 1

In order to achieve better outcomes than those arrived at in the state of nature

Question 2

Why else may states create institutions? (1)

Answer 2

In order to reduce the governance costs associated with autonomous decision-making

Question 3

Why does the way in which institutions come into being link realist and institutionalist thought?

Answer 3

Hegemonic powers create institutions

Question 4

How do domestic politics influence international institutions?

Answer 4

Domestic political institutions must be supportive of membership

Question 5

How do international institutions affect domestic institutions? (3)

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

What do Keohane and Nye argue is an important feature of world politics?

Answer 6

Economic interdependence

Question 7

What has been the impact of globalisation? (3)

Answer 7

Increase in interdependence between states has increased cooperation

Question 8

Why do neoliberals argue that to focus on relative gains is misguided? (3)

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

Do neoliberals agree that states act in their own interests?

Answer 9

Neoliberals agree states act in their own interests, yet hold a much more optimistic view on cooperation

Question 10

How do institutions help prevent states from cheating? (3)

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

How does Kant believe we can overcome the security dilemma?

Answer 11

Through

• Democratic government
• Economic interdependence
• International law and institutions

Question 12

What is Kant’s theory of perpetual peace? (2)

Answer 12

• Democracies will rarely fight or threaten each other

- Democracies may also be more peaceful with all kinds of states

Question 13

Why are democratic states more peaceful? (4)

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

What does sustained commercial interaction require?

Answer 14

• Sustained commercial interaction requires exchange of information about needs + preferences
• Resulting in greater mutual understanding, empathy + mutual identity across borders

Question 15

What are the different ways international institutions promote peace? (3)

Answer 15

• Separating or coercing norm-breakers (e.g. UN peacekeeping)
• Mediating among conflicting parties
• Reducing uncertainty by providing information

Question 16

How does trade promote democracy and the creation of international institutions? (4)

Answer 16

• 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

Question 17

Give an example of an international institution promoting democracy (2)

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Why was the EU created?

Answer 18

To break a vicious cycle of conflict + violence

Question 19

What was the initial task of the EU? (3)

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

Why did dictatorships arise in the post WW1 period? (3)

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

Why did European leaders decide that the continent needed economic interdependence to underpin democracy?

Answer 21

So that war would be economically irrational

Question 22

What did economic interchange in Europe require? (4)

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

What happened in the Euro Crisis? (3)

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

What did economic integration in Europe begin with? (3)

Answer 24

• 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

Question 25

What is the impact of conflict on trade? (2)

Answer 25

• Trade depends on expectations of peace with the trading partner
• Violent conflict endangers access to markets, imports + capital

Question 26

When does a political base have the strongest interest in preserving peaceful relations?

Answer 26

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