Core Concepts in International Relations Theory and Global Politics
Fundamental Concepts in Political Theory
Polarity
The state of having two opposite or contradictory tendencies, opinions, or aspects.
Absolute Gains
A measure of the total effect of an action, comprising power, security, economic, and cultural effects.
Relative Gains
The actions of states considered only in respect to power balances, without regard to other factors.
Third Party Regimes
A person or group besides the two primarily involved in a situation, or a political party organized as an alternative to the major parties in a two-party system.
Constitutive Roles
Having the power to establish or give organized existence to something.
Regulative Roles
Enforcement by public sector agencies of controls and restrictions on certain activities.
Rationalism
The theory that the basis of knowledge is reason, rather than experience or divine revelation.
Positivism
The theory that laws are to be understood as social rules, valid because they are enacted by authority or derive logically from existing decisions. Ideal or moral considerations should not limit the scope or operation of the law.
Post-Positivism
Pursues objective answers by attempting to recognize and work with biases inherent in the theories and knowledge that theorists develop.
Normative
Establishing, relating to, or deriving from a standard or norm, especially concerning behavior.
Intersubjectivity
The sharing of subjective experience between two or more people.
Karl Marx and Marxism
Marxism is a social, political, and economic theory originated by Karl Marx that focuses on the struggle between capitalists and the working class.
Bandwagoning (Realist Perspective)
Realism predicts that states will bandwagon only when there is no possibility of building a balancing coalition or when their geography makes balancing difficult.
Heterodox
Not conforming with accepted or orthodox standards or beliefs.
Orthodox
Conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true.
Social Constructivism
A process where a social group constructs things for one another, collaboratively creating a small culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings.
World Systems Theory Concepts
Semi-Periphery Countries
Industrializing, mostly capitalist countries positioned between the periphery and core countries in the global economic system.
Core Countries
Industrialized capitalist countries upon which periphery and semi-periphery countries depend. Core countries control and benefit from the global market.
Key Theoretical Comparisons
Orthodox vs. Heterodox Perspectives
The Orthodox School holds that the state is the pre-eminent object of study and the favored focus of research. Main themes include the effects of globalization on state capacities and public policies, and hegemonic stability theory.
Heterodoxy refers to belief in a doctrine differing from the accepted norm.
Neorealism and Neoliberalism Comparison
- Neorealists argue that conflict occurs due to the absence of order analogous to that which exists within states (anarchy).
- Neoliberals stress that the prospects for cooperation are constrained by anarchy, but cooperation is not made impossible.
Positive Theory vs. Normative Theory
- Positive Theory attempts to explain how the world works in a value-free way (expressing what is).
- Normative Theory provides a value-based view about what the world ought to be like or how it ought to work (expressing what ought to be).
Social Constructivism vs. Neorealism on Anarchy
- Neorealists believe anarchy is an inherent part of the international system; states must accept it and fight to survive.
- Social Constructivists argue that anarchy is not inherent. Instead, it has accumulated over time through previous state interactions and is a socially constructed idea. Therefore, how states respond to anarchy is up to them.
Feminism and Critical Theory
Both theories focus on identifying inequalities:
- Critical Theory focuses on inequalities related to class, race, industrial relations, and globalization.
- Feminist Theory brings a primary focus on inequalities due to gender.