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Collective IdentityFormation and the
International StateAlexander Wendt
American Political Science Review (1994)
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The Reseach Question
Why would statescooperate at all?
Alexander Wendt (1958-)
Father of IR Constructivism
Anarchy Is What States Make of It (1992)
Social Theory of International Politics (1999)
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Prevalent Answers
Mancur Olsen (1932-1998)Rational Economist
The Logic of Collective Action: PublicGoods and the Theory of Goods (1965)
International cooperation is the problem of getting
exogenously-driven egotists to cooperate. However,
groups with more resources will have to do the bulk of the
work (thus less incentive), while weakers groups are likely
to freeride.
So rationalists, realists and liberals alike,focused on changing prices or constraints
outside of the system of interaction...
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Wendts Hypothesis
But it could also happen because states are
ENDOGENOUSLY driven by participation in internationalrelations rather than exogenous reasons.
It may be that neorealists and neoliberals may be right
(most of the time).
States participation at
International level
Forms of identityand interest
(continually expanding)
independent variable
dependent variable observable outcome
States domestic preferences
Collective Action
World Structure /Distribution of Power
Absolute power gains
Balancing against hegemony
Collective Action
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Why is identity so important?
Social IdentityCorporate Identity
Interests are determined by identity -- and there are two
levels of identity at play!
How I see myself How I think others
perceive meIntrinsic self-organising qualities that
constitute actor individuality. itgenerates four basic interests:
physical security, ontological security,recognition by others, internaldevelopment
Yes, thats symbolic interactionism!
Took IR long enough to get it.
George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)
Sets of meanings an actor attributesto itself while taking the perspective ofothers endogenous to the system.
Social identities can be cooperative orconflictual. What matters is howdeeply the social structures they
instantiate penetrate conceptions ofself.
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Mechanisms
Dynamic
Density
Common
Other
More Sensitive &
vulnerable
Systemic Processes
Less unilaterally able
to cope with corporate
needs
lower egoistic tendencies,
greater social identification
with other
Demonstration
effects, diffusion,
lesson learning
Spread of democratic
institutions, welfarism,
human rights
2
Transnational
Convergence of values
I guess our entire book is
evidence enough.
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Mechanisms
Repeated acts of cooperation leads to:(1) actors form identities based on
learning from interaction(2) the way actors project and sustain
presentations of self
Strategic Practice 3
EVIDENCE: John Ruggies EmbeddedLiberalism of the Postwar free-trade
regime.
CALL FOR SOLIDARITY
change ideas of who
constitutes the self
consciousness-raising,
dialogue, persuasion,
political argument,symbolic action
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Questions for Discussion
States participate at
International level
Forms of identityand interest
(continually expanding)
Collective Action
Are the causal links persuasive? How would you measure a change in social identity
(expanded)? Over-determinative of neorealist/neoliberal factors?
Too narrow to happen?
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