Intergovernmentalism, Reloaded
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Explaining the Treaty of Amsterdam: Interests, Influence, Institutions*
Journal of Common Market Studies Vol. 37, No. 1 March 1999 pp. 59–85 Explaining the Treaty of Amsterdam: Interests, Influence, Institutions* ANDREW MORAVCSIK and KALYPSO NICOLAÏDIS Harvard University Abstract This article offers a basic explanation of the process and outcome of negotiat- ing the Treaty of Amsterdam. We pose three questions: What explains the national preferences of the major governments? Given those substantive national preferences, what explains bargaining outcomes among them? Given those substantive bargains, what explains the choice of international institu- tions to implement them? We argue in favour of an explanation based on three elements. Issue-specific interdependence explains national preferences. Inter- state bargaining based on asymmetrical interdependence explains the out- comes of substantive negotiation. The need for credible commitments explains institutional choices to pool and delegate sovereignty. Other oft-cited factors – European ideology, supranational entrepreneurship, technocratic consider- ations, or the random flux and non-rational processes of ‘garbage can’ decision-making – play secondary roles. Remaining areas of ambiguity are flagged for future research. * We would like to thank Simon Bulmer, Noreen Burrows, Stanley Crossick, Richard Corbett, Franklin Dehousse, Youri Devuyst, Geoffrey Edwards, Nigel Evans, Stephen George, Simon Hix, Karl Johansson, Nikos Kotzias, Sonia Mazey, John Peterson, Constantino Papadopoulos, Michel Petite, Eric Philippart, Jeremy Richardson, Brendon Smith, Alexander Stubb, Helen Wallace, William Wallace, Alison Weston and Neil Winn for assistance and conversations. In the current version we have cited only essential sources, for example those underlying direct quotations. An extended version can be found in Moravcsik and Nicolaïdis (forthcoming). © Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1999, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA 60 ANDREW MORAVCSIK AND KALYPSO NICOLAÏDIS I. -
Coping with the Security Dilemma: a Fundamental Ambiguity of State Behaviour Andras Szalai Central European University
Volume 2 (2), 2009 AMBIGUITIES Coping with the Security Dilemma: A Fundamental Ambiguity of State Behaviour Andras Szalai Central European University Abstract he wording of international treaties, the language and actions of statesmen are often T ambiguous, even controversial. But there is a different, more fundamental ambiguity underlying international relations; one that is independent of human nature or the cognitive limitations of decision makers but instead results from the correct adjustment of state behaviour to the uncertainties of an anarchical international system. Due to the anarchical nature of the international system — the lack of a sovereign — states can only rely on their own strength for self-defence. But self-protection often threatens other states. If a state purchases armaments, even if it claims not to have aggressive intents, there is no sovereign to enforce these commitments and there is no way of being certain that the purchasing state is telling the truth, or that it will not develop such intents in the future. The so- called security dilemma has a number of effects on state behaviour. First, states often worry about implausible threats (see e.g. British defence plans against a possible French invasion in the 1930s) and/or get caught in arms races. Second, states develop an inherent mistrust in the language of the other, requiring commitments to be firm and unambiguous in order to be credible, since ambiguity invites conflicts and renders cooperation more difficult. Still, on the one hand, instead of a world of constant mistrust, we register instances of institutionalized inter-state cooperation. On the other hand, states often choose to make commitments that are deliberately ambiguous and outperform more transparent commitments. -
The Lost and the New 'Liberal World' of Welfare Capitalism
Social Policy & Society (2017) 16:3, 405–422 C Cambridge University Press 2016. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. doi:10.1017/S1474746415000676 The Lost and the New ‘Liberal World’ of Welfare Capitalism: A Critical Assessment of Gøsta Esping-Andersen’s The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism a Quarter Century Later Christopher Deeming School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol E-mail: [email protected] Celebrating the 25th birthday of Gøsta Esping-Andersen’s seminal book The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism (1990), this article looks back at the old ‘liberal world’ and examines the new. In so doing, it contributes to debates and the literature on liberal welfare state development in three main ways. First, it considers the concept of ‘liberalism’ and liberal ideas about welfare provision contained within Three Worlds. Here we are also interested in how liberal thought has conceptualised the (welfare) state, and the class-mobilisation theory of welfare-state development. Second, the article elaborates on ‘neo-’liberal social reforms and current welfare arrangements in the English-speaking democracies and their welfare states. Finally, it considers the extent to which the English-speaking world of welfare capitalism is still meaningfully ‘liberal’ and coherent today. Key words: Welfare regimes, welfare state capitalism, liberalism, neoliberalism, comparative social policy. Introduction Esping-Andersen’s The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism (Three Worlds hereafter) has transformed and inspired social research for a quarter of a century. -
UNU/CRIS E-Occasional Papers O-2003/5 Is There a Comparative
UNU/CRIS e-Occasional Papers O-2003/5 Is There a Comparative Perspective between the European Union and NAFTA? Alejandro Chanona* * Director of the Center Of European Studies, National University of Mexico, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences ([email protected]) Is There a Comparative Perspective between the European Union and NAFTA? Introduction In 1991, a Conference was held in London regarding the launching of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). A member of the audience asked the speaker if he considered whether there was any chance for the NAFTA to be like the European Community; the answer was negative. The NAFTA was seen since its beginning as a simple Free Trade Agreement, maybe similar to an EFTA, rather than as a potential community. Time has proven that the respectable scholar was wrong; however, we cannot blame him for thinking like that. On the contrary, it was pretty ambitious to consider that NAFTA could take a step beyond what a FTA involves, theoretically speaking. There are currently several expectations around NAFTA that clearly foresee something beyond a simple FTA. Moreover, there are several analytical studies of a comparative nature, with the EU as the standard of comparison, that raise doubt over the idea of a North American Community1. If we agree that the NAFTA is a region in the making and its objectives tend to be overtaken by the dynamics of the region, we are in business. North America has become a real region for security reasons, for economic advantages and for political interests. The point is whether the NAFTA represents a distinctive model or its evolution reveals common features with the European experience. -
The Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties
THE MAASTRICHT AND AMSTERDAM TREATIES The Maastricht Treaty altered the former European treaties and created a European Union based on three pillars: the European Communities, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs (JHI). With a view to the enlargement of the Union, the Amsterdam Treaty made the adjustments needed to enable the Union to function more efficiently and democratically. I. THE MAASTRICHT TREATY The Treaty on European Union, signed in Maastricht on 7 February 1992, entered into force on 1 November 1993. A. The Union’s structures By instituting a European Union, the Maastricht Treaty marked a new step in the process of creating an ‘ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe’. The Union was based on the European Communities (1.1.1 and 1.1.2) and supported by policies and forms of cooperation provided for in the Treaty on European Union. It had a single institutional structure, consisting of the Council, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors which (being at the time strictly speaking the only EU institutions) exercised their powers in accordance with the Treaties. The Treaty established an Economic and Social Committee and a Committee of the Regions, which both had advisory powers. A European System of Central Banks and a European Central Bank were set up under the provisions of the Treaty in addition to the existing financial institutions in the EIB group, namely the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund. B. The Union’s powers The Union created by the Maastricht Treaty was given certain powers by the Treaty, which were classified into three groups and were commonly referred to as ‘pillars’: The first ‘pillar’ consisted of the European Communities, providing a framework within which the powers for which sovereignty had been transferred by the Member States in the areas governed by the Treaty were exercised by the Community institutions. -
The English School: an Underexploited Resource in IR
Review of International Studies (2001), 27, 471–488 Copyright © British International Studies Association The English School: an underexploited resource in IR BARRY BUZAN1 Abstract. The English School is an underutilized research resource and deserves a larger role in IR than it currently has. Its distinctive elements are its methodological pluralism, its historicism, and its interlinking of three key concepts: international system, international society and world society. International society is the main focus, and the via media, between the other two, but more work needs to be done to develop the School’s theoretical position, particularly in understanding the relationship between international and world society. In order to realize its potential, the English School needs both to construct a more coherent research agenda and to recover some of the working method of the British Committee. It is potentially a way of challenging the theoretical fragmentation that afflicts IR, and of setting up the foundations for a return to grand theory. 1. Introduction The English School as an approach to international relations (IR) is ripe for reconsideration. It has succeeded in establishing a globally recognized brand name (no mean feat for a non-American theory in the second half of the twentieth century), and is well into a substantial third generation of active scholarship. Yet it still remains outside the mainstream of American IR, and had its designation as a School given to it by someone calling for its closure.2 Although impressively active in terms of people writing within or about it, it displays no discernible sense of direction, and the systematic working method that animated and inspired its first generation has atrophied even as the number of people working in the tradition has expanded. -
A Neorealist Analysis of International Space Politics (1957-2018)
“War in Space: Why Not?” A Neorealist Analysis of International Space Politics (1957-2018) Eirik Billingsø Elvevold Dissertação em Relações Internacionais Maio, 2019 Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Relações Internacionais, realizada sob a orientação científica da Professora Doutora Ana Santos Pinto e a co-orientação científica do Mestre Rui Henrique Santos. ii To my wife Leyla, For your love, patience and support. iii AKNOWLEDGEMENTS As I came to Portugal to work for the Norwegian Embassy in Lisbon, I had no idea I would stay to study for several years. The decision, however, I will never regret. I would like to thank Universidade Nova and the social sciences faculty, FCSH, for allowing me to study at a leading university for International Relations in Portugal. Our classes, especially with prof. Tiago Moreira de Sa and prof. Carlos Gaspar, will always be remembered. To my coordinator, professor Ana Santos Pinto, I want to express gratitude for her guidance, sharp mind and patience throughout the process. The idea of studying a mix of international politics and space came with me from Norway to Portugal. After seeing Pinto teach in our scientific methods class, I asked her to be my coordinator. Even on a topic like space, where she admitted to having no prior expertise, her advice and thoughts were essential for me both academically and personally during the writing process. In addition, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Rui Henriques Santos for stepping in as my co- coordinator when professor Pinto took on other challenges at the Portuguese Ministry of Defense. -
The Evolution of Social Constructivism in International Relations
A tale of two cognitions: The Evolution of Social Constructivism in International Relations https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7329201700105 Rev. Bras. Polít. Int., 60(1): e014, 2017 Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional Abstract ISSN 1983-3121 Constructivism in International Relations (IR) is popular, but constructivists http://www.scielo.br/rbpi seem disappointed. Allegedly something has been lost. Such criticisms are misplaced. There was never a uniform Constructivism. Since constructivism Hannes Peltonen is socially constructed, to argue that constructivism has evolved “wrongly” University of Tampere, School of Management, Tampere, Finland is odd. This paper explains the dissatisfaction with constructivism followed ([email protected]) by a second reading of its evolution as a tale of two cognitions. These two ORCID ID: cognitions distinguish genera in the constructivist “family”. A criticism against orcid.org/0000-0002-8802-8520 one genus based on the cognition of the other is unfair. A focus on cognitions and the use of genera helps in perceiving constructivism’s future evolution. Keywords: Cognition, constructivism, evolution, evolutionary branching, disciplinary history. Received: September 7, 2016 Accepted: March 24, 2017 Introduction he contemporary state of social constructivism in International TRelations (IR) is somewhat paradoxical1. Constructivism is well established and popular, but many constructivists seem unhappy. The common claim by dissatisfied constructivists is a variation on a theme about the mainstreaming of constructivism and how something important was lost in that process. Yet, as this article argues, such Copyright: • This is an open-access article distributed claims are misplaced. For one, there was never some uniform IR under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits “Constructivism,” which then lost something. -
SIS 801 Schools of Thought in International Relations
Schools of Thought in International Relations American University School of International Service Fall 2017 SIS 801-001 Amitav Acharya Course Information: Class Hours: Tuesdays 11:20am- 02:10pm, Room SIS 348 Office: SIS 323 Office Hours: Monday 11am-1pm Tuesday 2.30-4pm Other days: by prior appointment only Course Description: International relations (IR) is a relatively young discipline, which by some accounts, goes back to a mere 100 years. Founded in the UK, it really came onto its own as an “American social science”. Now, it is rapidly expanding around the globe, especially in emerging countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Turkey. Yet, from the very beginning, IR and its theories have been deeply contested. Some of the earlier debates in IR were between paradigms (Idealism-Realism, Positivism-Post Positivism, Rationalism- Constructivism, etc.) while the more recent debates have been about whether the discipline is genuinely inclusive and global. Indeed, the future of the discipline itself and of IR theory in particular, is being debated. The aim of this course is to help students develop a command over the major theoretical perspectives and debates in IR. But it also goes beyond the standard conventions and narratives of the discipline to look at the emerging perspectives and examine the possibility of a global IR. Learning Outcomes Through this course students will be able to master basic facts, concepts, and central theoretical debates in the field of international relations. Students will learn to critically engage with theoretical debates and form their own approach to the study of international relations. -
Intergovernmentalism
Intergovernmentalism MI CHELLE CINI Chapter Contents • Introduction • What is intergovernmentalism? • Hoffmann and his critics • Beyond classical intergovernmentalism • Liberal intergovernmentalism and its critics • Conclusion: the future af intergovernmentalism Reader's Guide This chapter provides an overview of intergovernmentalist integration theory, focusing ticularly on the works ofStanley Hoffmann and Andrew Moravcsik.ltfirst introduces tbe premises and assumptions of intergovernmentalism, identifying its realist underpinnin the state-centrism which provides the core ofthe approach, before examining in more the specific characteristics of Hoffmann's work. The subsequent section also examines ofthe ways in which intergovernmentalist thinking has contributed to different conce zations of European integration. The topics covered in this section are confederalis domestic politics approach; and institutional analyses that emphasize the 'locked-in' of nation states within the integration processoLast, but certainly not least, the chapter vides a brief review of Moravcsik's liberal intergovernmentalism, which since the mid 1 has become the main focal point for intergovernmentalist research. Intergovernmentalism 87 ntroduction m the mid 1960s to the present day, intergovern- intergovernmentalism?' This section outlines the ntalism-in one shape or another-has pro- general characteristics of the approach. The section ed students of the European Community/Union that follows introduces Hoffmann's early ideas; this a conceptual account of the European integra- section also addresses the main criticisms of his n processo For decades, students of European particular brand of intergovernmentalisrn, ation learnt about the two competing Hoffmann's groundbreaking insights into the phe- roaches which explained (and in some cases nomenon of European integration, together with icted) the course ofEuropean integration: neo- critiques of his work, led to new developments in ionalism (covered in Chapter 5) and intergov- European integration theory from the 1970s entalism. -
University of Groningen the Death of the 'Community Method' ... and the Immediate Future of the EU Voogsgeerd, Herman
University of Groningen The Death of the 'Community Method' ... and the Immediate Future of the EU Voogsgeerd, Herman Published in: Studies in Euroculture, Volume 4 IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2018 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Voogsgeerd, H. (2018). The Death of the 'Community Method' ... and the Immediate Future of the EU. In K. Czerska-Shaw, M. Galent, & B. Gierat-Bieroń (Eds.), Studies in Euroculture, Volume 4: Visions and Revisions of Europe (Vol. 4, pp. 25-37). (Studies in Euroculture; Vol. 4). Universitätsverlag Göttingen. Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 27-09-2021 The death of the ‘Community method’ …and the immediate future of the EU Herman Voogsgeerd. 1. Introduction The so-called Community method has been very successful in the first five decades of existence of the EEC/EC/EU. -
Interview with Catherine Lalumière: the Community Method and the Intergovernmental Method (Paris, 17 May 2006)
Interview with Catherine Lalumière: the Community method and the intergovernmental method (Paris, 17 May 2006) Source: Interview de Catherine Lalumière / CATHERINE LALUMIÈRE, Étienne Deschamps, prise de vue : François Fabert.- Paris: CVCE [Prod.], 17.05.2006. CVCE, Sanem. - VIDEO (00:07:44, Couleur, Son original). Copyright: (c) Translation CVCE.EU by UNI.LU All rights of reproduction, of public communication, of adaptation, of distribution or of dissemination via Internet, internal network or any other means are strictly reserved in all countries. Consult the legal notice and the terms and conditions of use regarding this site. URL: http://www.cvce.eu/obj/interview_with_catherine_lalumiere_the_community_metho d_and_the_intergovernmental_method_paris_17_may_2006-en-03c2cccc-6e0b- 44a6-8e48-46ffbc02819c.html Last updated: 05/07/2016 1/3 Interview with Catherine Lalumière: the Community method and the intergovernmental method (Paris, 17 May 2006) [Étienne Deschamps] You have remarked how certain political leaders, from various countries, among whom you include General de Gaulle, considered rightly or wrongly that the Council of Europe was somewhat lethargic, a bit sleepy. You have worked in both Community structures and — I am thinking of the Council of Europe here — intergovernmental structures. [Catherine Lalumière] Yes, that is the epitome of an intergovernmental organisation. [Étienne Deschamps] Now that you can afford to be objective, what is your opinion of these two working methods and of the results achieved by these two political philosophies? [Catherine Lalumière] Yes. It is true that the principles underlying the intergovernmental method and the principles underlying the Community method are quite different. In the first instance, it is really the States that agree on a decision or on a text.