Theories in International Relations: Neo-Liberalism

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Theories in International Relations
Neo-Liberalism

• Keohane, After Hegemony
• Axelrod and Keohane, Achieving Cooperation under
  Anarchy Strategies and Institutions
• Conceptualization of the international system
• International regimes concept
• Foreign policy formulation

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Conceptualization of the international system

• Assumptions
• - International environment is anarchical
• - States are the most significant actors in the
  international system and the non-state actors are
  subordinated to them
• Problem how to initiate and maintain cooperation
  under conditions of anarchy
• International regimes/ international institutions
  thesis Neo-Liberalism accounts for the process
  of achieving sustained patterns of cooperation
  under anarchy
• Why do states choose to set up regimes
• - reduce transaction cost
• - increase security

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International regimes concept

• Definition set of rules, norms and procedures
  around which expectations converge these apply
  to a concrete issue area vary in terms of scope
  and depth
• How do the regimes mitigate anarchy
• alter the payoff structures facing actors
  lengthen the shadow of the future N-person games
  are broken down into games with smaller number of
  actors (Axelrod and Keohane, 1985)
• reducing the political market failures in terms
  of information, enforcement (making defection
  from norms easier to punish) and monitoring
  (Ruggie, 1998)
• Typology of the international and transnational
  organizations
• membership universal and regional
  intergovernmental, supranational and
  transnational
• Goals specific and general

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Foreign policy formulation

• National preferences and interests
• domestic politics
• process of learning
• International institutions and bargaining