POLS1005 Lecture Notes - Stag Hunt, National Democratic Institute, Carter Center
21 May 2018
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[Lecture 2]
THEORIES OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
What is theory?
• A set of explicit assumptions accepted as given for the purposes of explanation
• Propositions are logically derived from assumptions linking cause (independent variable) to
effect (dependent variable)
• Hypotheses are propositions with observable implications that we attempt to refute
Goals of political theorising
• Descriptive – What happened?
• Explanatory – Why did it happen?
• Predictive – What will happen?
• Normative – What should happen?
• Interpretive – How do we create meaning and understanding of what happens?
Explanatory theory
• Begin with an empirical puzzle
• Develop a theory to explain a type of event – e.g. war, globalization, environmental
cooperation
• Theories are specific to the puzzles we want to explain
• Do not assume the same actors, interactions, and institutions are appropriate for all outcomes
INTERESTS, INTERACTIONS & INSTITUTIONS
Explanation and the three “I”s
• All theories about politics include assumptions about interests, interactions, and institutions
• Different groups of assumptions (i.e. theoretical approaches) produce different theories
• We evaluate theories by how well their assumptions generate propositions that predict
patterns of events in the real world
Interests
• Interests are what actors want to achieve through political action
• More precisely, interests are actors’ preferences over the possible outcomes that might
result from their political choices
• Common interests in IR:
- Power/security
- Economic or material welfare
- Ideological goals
States, sovereignty & anarchy
• State – a central authority with the ability to make and enforce laws, rules, and decisions
within a specific territory
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Interests are what actors want to achieve through political action: more precisely, interests are actors" preferences over the possible outcomes that might result from their political choices, common interests in ir: In developing a theory about international relations, we have to make assumptions about: Interests by themselves don"t tell us what will happen. Interactions are the combinations of choices of two or more actors that produce observed political outcomes: this assumes that actors: Adopt strategies to obtain preferred outcomes given what they believe to be the interests and likely actions of others i. e. the best response. Interactions involve bargaining when actors must choose between outcomes that make one better off at the expense of another - e. g. taxes and social spending: cooperation: Agenda-setting: examples of bargaining and cooperation: Institutions are sets of rules known and shared by the relevant community that structure political interactions in particular. Parliament how a bill is made.
