Midterm I Flashcards
Interests
Interests are what actors want to achieve through political action; their preferences over the outcomes that might result from their political choices
Interactions
Interactions are the ways in which the choices of two or more actors combine to produce political outcomes
Institutions
Institution is a set of rules (known and shared by the community) that structure interactions in specific ways. They are often embodied in formal treaties or in organisations like the UN
Realism
*view of glass being half empty human psychology, that we are all strategic making cost benefit analysis. Realists operate off of the logic of rationality. Quite self centred, they think my gain is your loss and vice versa. They believe in material power like alliances. From a realist perspective, the UN doesn’t matter because the big 5 created the system to serve them.
a. Actors - rational, unitary states
b. Interests - material power & security, relative, zero sum gains and relational, survival seeking.
c. Institutions - Anarchy (cooperation unlikely), institutions exert minimal influence (i.e UN)
d. Interactions - conflictual, coercive bargaining, security dilemma
Liberalism
a. Actors: Rational, Unitary states can vary
varies : domestic, international, transnational
b. Interests: Wealth, Liberty, Information, Principles \
Absolute “ Positive-Sum” Gains & Preferences
Incentives to increase information
c. Institutions: Anarchy (but cooperation possible)
Institutions facilitate cooperation. An example is economic interdependence
d. Interactions: Conflicts & Cooperation. An example is the Iran Nuclear Deal (securing mutual absolute gains)
Constructivism
a. Actors: Varies
Different ideas, culture, norms & identity
b. Interests: Nonmaterial, Socially-Constructed Norms
Normative, Standard of Appropriate Behaviour
c. Institutions: Intersubjective Constitution
“Anarchy is what states make of it”
Process not structure
d. Interactions: Socialization and Change
Anarchy
the absence of a central authority with the ability to make and enforce laws that bind all actors
Bargaining Theory of War
An interaction in which actors must choose outcomes that make one better off at the expensive of another. bargaining is redistributive: it involves allocating a fixed sum of value between different actors.
Coordination
a type of cooperative interaction in which actors benefit from all making the same choices and subsequently have no incentive to not comply
Collaboration
a type of cooperative interaction in which actors gain from working together but nonetheless have incentives to not comply with any agreement
Agenda-Setting Power
A first-mover advantage that helps an actor to secure a more favourable bargain
Prisoner’s Dilemma
A game theory scenario where two parties choose between cooperation and betrayal. Although mutual cooperation leads to a better outcome, the incentive to betray for individual gain often results in both sides choosing the worse collective outcome.
Chicken
A situation of brinkmanship where two players face the choice to back down or risk a catastrophic clash. The goal is to be bold enough to make the opponent yield, but if neither backs down, both suffer severe consequences.
Stag Hunt
A coordination game where mutual cooperation yields the highest reward, but the lack of trust may push individuals to opt for a safer, lower payoff. It demonstrates the challenge of achieving the best collective outcome when there’s a risk of defection.
Collective Action Problem
obstacles to cooperation that occur when actors have incentives to collaborate but each acts in anticipation that the others will pay the costs of cooperation
Public Goods
products that are non-excludable and non rivalrous in consumption such as national defence or street lights
Compellence
an effort to change the status quo through the threat of force
Deterrence
an effort to preserve the status quo through the threat of force
