IR School of Thought: Constructivism

“A perspective that stresses the importance of identities and shared understandings in shaping the behavior of social actors”

“According to constructivist theories of international relations, actors [states] seek to behave in accordance with the norms relevant to their identities.. [which are] definitions of the self in relation to others that provide guidance for how one should behave in a given context” - Daniel Thomas

Perception on Reality Constructivists argue that most theories of int’l relations, and especially realism, assume that the realities of world politics “exist”; they are not “created”. Realists assume that states would act as they do independent of any theory telling them that this is how they should behave. Constructivists assume states would act as they do as a result of widely shared ideas about how states should behave. Their ideas are mainly a consequence of internalized norms and values that state leaders believe in.

Perception on Reality Constructivists realities International Anarchy Some nations have nuclear weapons Some nations are stronger than others The implications of these facts for the conduct of international relations depend on how people UNDERSTAND their significance. Refer to the example in p.50

Perspectives and Levels of Analysis

“An organizational scheme for thinking about international politics “An organizational scheme for thinking about international politics. The most general focuses on causes and dynamics of the individual, state, and systemic levels.”

1st: Individual Level Focus on general aspects of human nature or traits of individual decision makers (e.g., perceptions, beliefs, and personalities)

2nd: State Level Focus on how societal characteristics influence state behavior (e.g., are democratic states more peaceful, or capitalist states more expansionist?)

3rd: International Level Focus on the impact of international anarchy or given distributions of power (e.g., does a balance or imbalance of power lead to peace?)

Assignment P. 53 #1,2,3,4,5