Plan for Today:Forms of Liberalism in IR

Delving in detail into newer forms of liberalism:

1. “English school”.2. Liberal Interdependence.3. Neoliberal Institutionalism.

International Society/ “English School”: Hedley Bull

The Anarchical Society (1977) Argued that a society of sorts has

developed in international politics. Criticizes realist view that anarchy is

brutal: International state of nature not

Hobbesian state of nature. Perhaps Lockean state of nature instead.

International Society/ “English School”: Hedley Bull

Limited society develops in system of states that are in constant contact with one another.

Examples:1. “Hue and cry” raised by other states

when one state does something morally abhorrent.

2. Loyalty among allies – carries on beyond the security needs of states.

Liberal Interdependence Theory

Ontology: Includes many different kinds of actors as being causally significant actors.

“Global civil society”

StatesInternational organizations

NGO

s MNCs

“Experts”

Liberal Interdependence Theory

Free trade and removal of barriers to commerce integration and cooperation among states.

Early works: cooperation in limited technical areas could “spill over” into other areas for mutual benefit.

E.g. Keohane & Nye (1977)

Liberal Interdependence Theory

Technological change of key importance (esp. communications, travel).

1. Increases power of nonstate actors. Email and Internet revolutionary. E.g. Friedman: Lexus and the Olive Tree.

2. Decreases costs & risks of cooperation.1. Trade less costly.2. More information to decrease uncertainty.

Neoliberal Institutionalism

Assumptions (accept realist) – Robert Keohane, After Hegemony (1984)

1. States are the main actors.2. States are selfish and rational actors.3. International system is anarchic.

Neoliberal Institutionalism

Principal Claims:1. New conclusion : cooperation can

develop among states under anarchy. 2. Anarchy is mitigated by regimes and

institutional cooperation, which bring regular patterns to IR.

Neoliberal InstitutionalismRegimes Regime (Krasner definition):

“implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decisionmaking procedures around which actors’ expectations converge in a given area”

i.e. sets of rules that may or may not have international organizations associated with them.

Similar to “institution.” Bigger than individual agreements.

Neoliberal InstitutionalismRegimes

Example: Bretton Woods international monetary regime (1944-1970s)

Governed currency relations among states, allowing for significant domestic capital controls.

International Monetary Fund created as part of regime.

Neoliberal InstitutionalismRegimes

Neoliberals: argue regimes can play role in helping states to realize mutual interests.

Neorealists: argue regimes defined according to power capabilities of states.

E.g. Bretton Woods – reflected US interests.

Neoliberal Institutionalism

Area and Problems of Focus: Chiefly economic issues. Usually actions to resolve instances of

market failure: problems that prevent markets from providing socially optimal allocation of resources.