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• Anarchy is what states make of it.

Constructivism

Power and Structure from Identity and Ideas.WendtNash’s common conjecture in GamesIntersubjectivity: the way states view each other in the International system.

British (Israeli) nukes versus N.Korea/Iran Security Dilemma?Danish or Dutch Power in IR.

Constructivsm and Power

1%2%

97%

Chart 3

USA NTH DEN

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Constructivism

Intersubjective systemic structures: Say what?Shared understandingsShared expectationsShared social knowledge

ReflectivstShared norms etc.. develop out of interactions between actors

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Constructivism

IR can be structured by culture of trust or suspicion. Realist vs. Liberal perspectives.Positive interactions don’t just reduce costs of oversight and sanction, remove consideration of defection.Norms and expectations become incorporated into the identity of the state and decision makers.

Lockian sense of legitimacy of the state.Role of identity in determining interpretation and response to IR events.

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Constructivism

Similar in some sense to Neo-liberalism with focus on norms and cooperation.Neo-liberals- see norms informing state practice in structured International System.Constructivists see norms, and practices structuring the IR system itself because it is a social system.

Wendt’s assertion undermines the assumptions of Realism, that rationality is same and true across time and culture.Self-help system of anarchy exists when states interact that way. Power politics and international system are institutions created by states.

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Constructivism

Differ from Post-Modern because recognize an opportunity to understand reality by including social constructs.

Is very challenging to implement because requires estimating world views of leaders or cultures in implementing analysis.

Bridges differences between positivists (those who use observation and create testable theory to try to distill essential truth)

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Constructivism

Criticized by Realist positivists as not paying enough attention to the physical characteristics of power that structure the International System

Criticized by Post-modernists as admitting too great a role for non-socially constructed factors, too much role for things that aren’t ideas or symbols.

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Constructivism-Summary

States develop predictability through repeated interactionsInter-subjectivity: agreed upon interpretations of international system (is it realist zero-sum, or liberal mutual gain?)The nature of the international system is whatever states agree it is…by their practices.State identities (roles) in understood international system constrain states’ own behaviors.The practices of some states effect the system more than others. Powerful states can condition the international system.Constructivism permits sources of social change internal to the state, or as a result of policy choices.

Marxian Political Economy

Marxist Political Economics

Marxist

Lenin’s imperialism

Dependency

World Systems

Marxist PE cont’d- relations of production in Capitalist Mode of Production

Proletariat= Workers

Petit Bourgeoisie (small med business)

OwnersMaterialist base to

understand relations of production

Labo

r Va

lue

WAGESExchange Value Wages will sink to level of reproduction (enough to feed workers

and babies)

Superstructure is the Political Structure,

Ideology, and culture that supports the Mode of

Production

Marxist PE con’t

Material world analyzed through lens of exchange and “relations of production” and “forces of production” in the Base

Political and cultural world provides “super-structure” for self-reproduction of system.

Society is defined by political-economic systems, forces of production, are dynamic and the result of historical forces and shape the future.

Not static, no equilibrium.

Marxist PE

Economics analyzed by positions in economic system-- or mode of production

Capitalist system creates two main classes

Owners of capital(bourgeoisie)

petit bourgeoisie--doomed class?

Workers (proletariat)

Free to sell labor at market price.

Free to starve in periods of oversupply.

Little ability to improve skills, actively prevented by capitalists.

Marxist PE

Mode of production

productive forces inputs (capital, labor, technology.

Relations of production: social, legal structure resulting from above.

Superstructure- Structures of Production/reproduction

Ideology and ideas used to sustain the modes of production. Classical economics (excepting Marx) considered apologists, or superstructure permitting/ explaining interests of dominant class.

Laws and practices that support the mode of production.

Government.

As with all Marx, it is an iterative dynamic process.

Marxist PE

Role of Government;

It is part of superstructure

Captured by the dominant class

Creates laws meant to foster reproduction of capitalist system.

Marxist PE

Capitalist mode of production has creative and destructive forces.Creative forces accumulate profits and invest in new technologies, new techniques efficient production.Destructive forces. Destroy old relations of production. Undermine superstructure. Destroy diversified labor types. Destroy attachment of labor with means of production.If workers or peasants have access to land (or social safety net) it puts a floor on how low wages can go.

Marxist PE

Source of Profit in Capitalist system.Separate labor from means of productionCommoditize labor, make it exchange value based.

Separate labor value from exchange value of a good.Use technologyuse labor market competition.

Marxist PE

Source of profitsdifference between amount paid for labor and value received for good.Labor only requires payment for labour value sufficient to reproduce (literally feed self and family).

Profits re-invested in competition with other capitalistsCompetition reduces profits

Reduces innovation and accumulation of capital concentrates in few hands.mass of unemployed labor and monopoly producers lowers wages to or below reproduction.eventually converts almost everyone to disaffected mass of workers.

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FeminismStandpoints of feminism

Can be applied within other analytical schemaDifferenceLiberal

Critical feminismStructural

Looking at Women’s place in societies.Marxian/critical: focuses on the position of women in structures of production.Notes that structures tend toward self-perpetuation.

Post-structural, post-modernDeconstruction of present status of women, in language and knowledge.Focus on symbols that reinforce statuslanguage

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Feminism

Masculine Feminine Dichotomy: Material

Role of woman in many traditional societies.Women: 1% of Property, 60% of labour, are the dominant component of illiterate, refugee and poor populations.Majority of unpaid labor

Symbolic“Male” attributes given positive spinProtector, strong, brave etc….Rationality, independence

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Difference FeminismClaims different emotional and moral attributes for women.

More communitarian, focused on needs of society over individuals.

More empathetic

Less warlike. Or aggressive

Claims that IR based in zero-sum power struggle particularly masculine, and that different outcomes likely from presence of women in decision-making structures.

Criticized as perpetuating idea that women need to be protected, and are the responsibility of men.

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Liberal Feminism

Some inherent physical differences exist, but differences are primarily social artifacts.

Women just as capable as men as decision-makers.

Female decision-makers face the same constraints and structures in International Relations as men.Criticized as ignoring realities, and strong normative predilections for “western” style equality.

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Liberal Feminism

Social structures that block women’s development undermine the goal of the state, and its capacity to use the “best and brightest” in foreign policy and other realms.

Strong normative preference for extension of women’s rights as human rights. The worst medical catastrophe is oppression of women.

Criticized as ignoring realities, and strong normative predilections for “western” style equality.

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Post-modern FeminismConcerned with how things got to be the way they are, and how the system perpetuates masculine dominance.

Symbols, and social ideologies used to create and sustain preferences for “masculine” characteristics.

Emphasize the traditional elimination of women from national mythologies, or the focus on traditional supportive roles as mother/caretaker.

Think about some “feminine characteristics” and their value in national or international discussions of policy.

International “Man”’s world, domestic “Women”’s issues.

Man will keep you safe etc…

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Marxian Feminism

The subordinate role of women is also an artifact of historical forces.

Economic structures perpetuate oppression of women because preference for unskilled, (or skilled in domestic affairs) labor force.

Fewer skilled women, means that women’s labor is worth less than men’s. “Men’s labor is paid and organized, woman are unpaid and invisible.”

Structure of economic unit as household means capitalists get benefit of women’s labor to subsidize men.

Culture develops as a “structure of production” to perpetuate the mode of women’s labor.

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Feminism

In the end, should not be confused with simply monitoring impact of policies on women.

Despite debates, policies have very real impact on the quality of life on women.

Policies directed toward education and empowerment of women leading indicator of reduced poverty, reduced illness, sustained economic growth, etc.

My own research tends to find slight association between education level, gender preferences, and conservative social/religious outlooks. An interaction effect weakly present in Turkey, Iran, and US, but not France, Netherlands.