Theories of international organisations I: Liberal institutionalism and constructivism
This week we examine two theoretical approaches to global governance: Liberal institutionalism (LI) and constructivism. LI starts from the premise that globalization requires international organisations and institutions which can facilitate cooperation between states. These organisations include, for example, the United Nations (UN), the Bretton Woods institutions (the World Bank, IMF and WTO), security institutions such as NATO, regional institutions such as the European Union, and many more. Together, these IOs, they argue, enable transnationalism and interdependence between states, which can help to bring about more harmonious relations in global politics. For its part, constructivism draws our attention to the role of ideas and norms and how the diffusion of these ideas and norms can transform the beliefs of global governance actors. In this way, global governance practices are also transformed over time.
Learning outcomes:
At the end of this week, students should be able to:
• Define the LI and constructivist approaches to global governance;
• Demonstrate an understanding of how LI frames the issue of international cooperation, and how this differs from more traditional IR approaches.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how constructivism frames the issue of international cooperation e.g. with respect to the diffusion of norms.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how these theories can be applied in practice.
Essential readings:
Archer, ‘Writings on international organisations’, ch. 3.
Johnson, T. and Heiss, A (2018), ‘Liberal institutionalism’, in Weiss et. al. core text, ch. 8
Park, S., (2018) ‘Constructivism’ in Weiss et al core text, ch. 10.
Recommended readings on liberal institutionalism:
Keohane, R. (2002) ‘Introduction: From Interdependence and Institutions to Globalization and Governance’, in RK, Ch1.
Keohane, R. (2002) ‘Governance in a Partially Globalized World’, in RK, Ch11
Keohane, Robert O. (1984) After Hegemony, Princeton: Princeton University Press
Keohane, R. (1988). “International institutions: two approaches.” International Studies Quarterly
