Apuntes de CONSTRUCTIVISM- Topic 5 (Profesor Robert Robinson)

 

TOPIC 5

 

CONSTRUCTIVISM

 

 

Overview

 

Constructivism has been much more widely adopted in International Relations than in IPE proper, but the authors think that it is of some importance to IPE. This chapter focuses on its use by IPE scholars and its application to issues typically studied in IPE. It places significant focus on norms.

 

The chapter argues that values, identities, and beliefs are critical variables in explaining international processes and relationships. Ideas have causal power, and the transformation of ideas can create political, economic, and social changes. In the first section we identify “conceptual tools” commonly used in constructivist analysis—problematization, framing, discourse analysis, and metaphors. The next section is mostly on norms and models of norm life cycles, with numerous examples from the literature. We discuss three main purveyors of norms: TANs, epistemic communities, and IOs. The next section shows use of constructivism to study conflict and cooperation. In the last section we demonstrate how powerful economic ideas shape actions of governments, IOs, and market participants.

 

 

Key Terms

•  Constructivism: it’s a perspective in IPE that emphasizes how ideas, norms, identities, and discourse shape the actions of states and international organizations. Social constructions should be as important as economic and military power in determining behavior on the world.

•  norm entrepreneurs: Individuals or groups who promote new standards of behavior (norms) and seek to persuade states to adopt them. Examples include advocacy groups pushing for environmental protection or human rights, often leveraging transnational networks to spread these norms​

•  problematization: The process by which issues are defined as problems requiring international response. Constructivists argue that societal and political discourse helps construct what is considered a “problem” by framing certain issues as concerns that need to be addressed collectively​

•  framing: This involves defining the essence of an issue—its causes, involved parties, consequences, and solutions. Frames influence how problems are understood and how people think they should be addressed, as with framing climate change as a security threat, prompting specific policy responses​

•  discourse analysis: A tool constructivists use to understand how language and rhetoric shape perceptions of issues and policies. Through discourse, issues like terrorism or migration may be framed to shape public and policy responses, often reinforcing existing power structures

•  norms: Shared standards of acceptable behavior for actors in the international system. These guide states and institutions by defining what is viewed as right or wrong, helping to shape behaviors in global politics.

•  norm cascade: A stage in norm diffusion where a significant number of states adopt a new norm rapidly. This occurs as states aim to be seen as legitimate and responsible members of the international community​

•  boomerang pattern: A mechanism where domestic groups unable to change their government’s stance on an issue partner with international groups. These international allies then pressure the government to adopt the desired norm, effectively “boomeranging” the influence.

•  spiral model: Describes a process where states, initially resistant to certain norms (like human rights), gradually make concessions under international pressure until they internalize and practice the norms​.

•  transnational advocacy networks (TANs): Networks of non-state actors, including NGOs, media, and social movements, that work internationally to promote new norms and influence state behavior. TANs often engage in campaigns to advance norms like human rights.

•  epistemic communities: Networks of professionals with shared knowledge and beliefs who influence policy by providing expert advice, shaping how certain issues are perceived and addressed at the international level​

•  odious debt: Refers to sovereign debt incurred by a government that is deemed illegitimate, as it does not benefit the people and may have been taken on by corrupt or authoritarian regimes. Constructivists argue that there is a growing norm to recognize such debt as unjust​.

•  security community: A region where there is a stable peace, often due to shared norms and institutions that make the use of force among its members unlikely. Such communities emerge from shared values, trust, and collective identity​

•  nuclear taboo: A strong norm against the use of nuclear weapons, reflecting a broad international consensus that their use is unacceptable due to their catastrophic humanitarian impact​.

•  Securitization: The process by which issues are framed as existential security threats through discourse, allowing governments to take extraordinary measures that might otherwise be unacceptable, such as limiting civil liberties​.

•  capital mobility: Refers to the ease with which capital (investment funds, assets) can move across borders. In a globalized economy, high capital mobility is significant, influencing national policies and economic sovereignty​.

•  expansionary fiscal contractions: This concept suggests that reducing government spending, especially in times of high debt, can lead to economic growth as market confidence increases, despite the immediate contractionary impact on the economy

Class discussion question

Outline the main elements of constructivism and discuss how they apply to IPE.

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