Norms in International Relations: A Theoretical Perspective Lecture 1

1
Norms in International RelationsA Theoretical
PerspectiveLecture 1

• International Summer Institute on Diversity and
  Democracy, Guadalajara, Mexico, June 3-29, 2007
• Antje Wiener
• Professor of Politics International
  RelationsDepartment of European Studies Modern
  Languages
• University of Bath
• a.wiener_at_bath.ac.uk

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Todays Seminar

• This Lecture
• Background
• Why are norms of interest for IR scholars?
• Which approaches deal with norms, how well do
  they do the job?
• Norm contestation as a) a problem which requires
  solution, or b) the basis of legitimacy?
• I What is theory and what is it for?
• II Theorising Norms in IR
• III Work Groups
• Why do norms matter and how?

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Background

• Why are norms of interest for IR scholars?
• international order
• society of states
• community of civilised states
• international law
• constitutionalism beyond the state
• Which approaches deal with norms, how well do
  they do the job?
• currently three strands of constructivism
  (conventional, consistent, critical) but also
  English School
• Norm contestation as
• a) a problem which requires solution, or
• b) the basis of legitimacy

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I Lecture

• Theory

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Theoretical Approaches (1)

• Guiding Questions (IR)
• Why do things happen?
• explain
• How possible?
• understand

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Theoretical Approaches (2)

• Neo/Realism
• Neo/Liberalism
• English School
• Constructivism
• Critical Approaches
• International Political Economy
• Feminist Approaches (cross-cutting!)

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What is theory?

• Narrower definition
• Theory as a causal argument of universal,
  trans-historical validity and nomothetic quality
  which can be tested through falsification of
  hypotheses.
• Broader definition
• Theory as a descriptive, analytical or normative
  argument of general quality, including a specific
  purpose (e.g. good governance).

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The Purposes of Theory

• Analytical Explaining
• outcomes, behaviour, decision-making rationales
• Descriptive Fitting in
• particular developments w/in larger scheme
• Normative Criticizing
• general trends based on abstract considerations
• Providing
• normative guidance

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Two Optics Politics Law

• Instrumental
• Functionalist logic
• Normative
• Interpretative logic
• (Keohane 1997)

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Practices

• Instrumental optic
• preference formation
• interest groups as the source of information
• Research focus
• Actor oriented

• Normative optic
• contestation
• discourse as the source of information
• Research focus
• Context oriented

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II Norms - Theorised
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Norms Behaviour

• Norms describe
• collective expectations for the proper behaviour
  of actors with a given identity.
• (Katzenstein 1996, 5)
• Norms are
• spontaneously evolving, as social practice
• consciously promoted, as political strategies to
  further specific interests
• deliberately negotiated, as a mechanism for
  conflict management
• or as a combination, mixing these three types.
• (Katzenstein 1996, 21)

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Norms Interaction

• In light of moving processes, practices and
  principles of governance out of the modern state
  context,
• the contested quality of normative meaning is
  enhanced and
• differences in the interpretation of norms and
  their meanings are expected as a rule rather than
  as an exception.
• (Wiener 2007, p. 2, emphasis added)

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Two Perspectives on Norms

• Behaviour in reaction to norms
• Compliance
• Membership (in/out)
• Utilitarian, functionalist
• Meaning in relation with norms
• Meaning in context?
• Participation (equal access)
• Egaliatrian, normative

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Contested Compliance in Liberal Communities

• Types of Norms
• Rule of law
• Human rights
• Fundamental freedoms
• Citizenship rights
• Democracy

• Meaning of Norms
• Access to law?
• Death penalty?
• Freedom of movement?
• Identity cards?
• Majority voting?

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Meaning in Context

• understanding is always against a background
  of what is taken for granted, just relied on.
• ... our understanding resides first of all in
  our practices.
• (Taylor 1993 47, 50 emphasis added)

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Meaning Constituted by Social Practices

• Meaning of norms
• does not necessarily follow from treaty language
  (i.e. organisational practices)
• is interpreted according to expectations based on
  experience (i.e. cultural practices)

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Two Hypotheses in IR
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Liberal Community Hypothesis

• membership incentive creates convergence
• The liberal community hypothesis expects
  community members with a given identity to share
  norms, ideas and principles.

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Rule-in-Practice Hypothesis

• normative baggage creates divergence
• The rule-in-practice assumption expects meanings
  to be contested according to individual
  experience. Subsequently, the perception of
  legitimacy follows contestation.

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Four Logics of Action

• Consequentialism
• Appropriateness
• Arguing
• Contestedness

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The Dual Quality of Norms
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Applying the Four Logics

• Why do some norms work better than others?
• Which norms are currently powerful?
• Which norms are on decline?
• Which are emerging anew?
• (consider context and interaction as
  indicators)
• How can we operationalise case studies on these
  different norms?
• How would you proceed with your case study?
• (consider a comparative perspective of analysis)

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Norms in IR Theory
Dual Quality
Norms
2. Logic of appropriateness How to behave?
Social facts
3. Logic of Arguing Which norm?
States
Identities
1. Logic of Consequentialism What to do?
4. Principle of Contestedness Which meaning?
Elites
Legitimacy
Interests
Material facts
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Conflict Resolution Model 1

• Conditions for norm convergence
• Principles
• self-help
• survival
• sovereignty
• Action
• diffusion
• coercion
• intervention

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Conflict Resolution Model 2

• Enhancing legitimacy by incorporating diversity
• Principles
• mutual recognition
• equal access to representation
• Action
• deliberative intergovernmentalism
  (minister-plus-one)
• culture of sovereign rights (debate in
  transnational policy areas)
• veto points in multiple demoi

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III Work Groups
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Why do which norms matter and how?

• Work groups
• (1) Which norms mattered most in history, so far
  (provide examples)?
• (2) How do we know that they mattered (elaborate
  on specific cases)?

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Who follows inter-national norms and why?

• Work groups
• (3) Discuss moments in history when norms were
  not considered equally valid by different actors,
  i.e. moments when norms were contested.

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Who/what is involved in international norms
politics?

• Work groups
• (4) Which actors matter? Which type of documents
  are influential? What are the main sources of
  International Law?