Things to know

Question 1

What are the three crucial elements to IR

Answer 1

1. Individual interests 2. Political institutions 3. Political interactions and outcomes

Question 2

What is individual behaviour?

Answer 2

• The belief and actions of political actors
• can create and perpetuate institutions
• Knowledge can be limited or plain wrong

Question 3

How do we know what we know?

Answer 3

1. Question 2. Propose an answer 3. Evaluate your answer

Question 4

What are the three levels of analysis?

Answer 4

1. Global 2. State 3. Individual

Question 5

What is a theory?

Answer 5

A set of explicit assumptions accepted as given for the purpose of explanation

Question 6

What are propositions?

Answer 6

Logically derived assumptions linking cause (independent variable) to effect (dependent variable)

Question 7

What is a hypotheses?

Answer 7

Propositions with observable implications that we attempt to refute

Question 8

What are the 5 goals of political theorising?

Answer 8

1. Descriptive - what happened 2. explanation - why did it happen 3. predictive - what will happen 4. normative - what should happen 5. interpretive - how do we create meaning and understanding of what happens

Question 9

What are the three I’s?

Answer 9

Interests, interactions and institutions

Question 10

List some common interests of IR

Answer 10

•Power/security •Economic or material welfare •Ideological goals

Question 11

What is a state

Answer 11

A central authority with the ability to make and enforce laws, rules and decisions within a specified territory

Question 12

What is Sovereignty

Answer 12

The expectation that states have legal and political supremacy - or ultimate authority - within their territorial boundaries

Question 13

What is Anarchy?

Answer 13

THE ABSENCE OF A CENTRAL AUTHORITY WITH THE ABILITY TO MAKE AND ENFORCE LAWS THAT BIND ALL ACTORS

Question 14

What are interactions?

Answer 14

The combination of choices of two or more actors that produce observed political outcomes

Question 15

What is cooperation

Answer 15

working together

Question 16

What is bargaining

Answer 16

zero sum loss, one sides game is one sides loss

Question 17

What are some examples of the Chicken Game IRL

Answer 17

•Cuban Missile Crisis

Question 18

What is stag hunt?

Answer 18

both can individually hunt rabbit, together can hunt stag

Question 19

What’s the other name of the coordination game?

Answer 19

Battle of the Sexes

Question 20

Coordination game is…?

Answer 20

When you can’t communicate with the other actor

Question 21

What are institutions?

Answer 21

sets of rules known and shared by the relevant community that structure political interactions in particular ways • facilitate cooperation and affect policy

Question 22

How do institutions have an impact on outcomes?

Answer 22

•set standards of behaviour •verify compliance •reduce costs of joint decision making •resolves disputes

Question 23

Are rules ever neutral?

Answer 23

No, they often embody the bargaining strength of the actors at the time they were enacted

Question 24

Why comply with biased institutions

Answer 24

•costly to create (money and time)