Neoliberal Institutionalism

What should international institutions do according to neoliberalists?

1. Promote cooperation by setting standards for what is appropriate 2. Promote transparency: make it easier to see what countries are actually doing WTO (World Trade Organization) monitors and publicizes trade relations of countries 3. Promote communication 4. Promote flow of information 5. Have epistemic function: a network of professionals with recognized knowledge and skill in a particular issue-area.

Public goods are marked by what two qualities? Are bigger or smaller groups better at providing public goods? Example?

1. They are not excludable 2. they are joint in supply. Smaller groups are better. Ex: national defense

Who does the worst at providing public goods?

Big groups

What did Keohane think about regimes and institutions?

He surmised that although cooperation was hard, and could easily lead to situations of discord, regimes and institutions could benefit states by incorporating cooperative strategies.

What is the larger question that Neoliberals are raising about international relations?

How does cooperation happen in the world?

Example of an international regime

International Monetary Fund, Kyoto Protocol

What are international regimes formed by? Why do they arise?

International regimes are formed by big countries that have an incentive to set up a regime that promotes its interests. International regimes arise because big states want to invest time and money (SUPPLY).

Are neoliberal institutionalists utopian? Defend your claim or offer their argument with respect to this claim.

Neoliberal institutionalists are not utopian in the slightest. Rather, they argue that states pursue such policies because it is usually in the best interest of all to do so.

According to a neoliberal institutionalist, what can solve this problem of disparity of desires between big/small groups?

The formation of international institutions (sometimes referred to as international regimes). They have rules, norms, and decision making around which state interests converge.

What is the main point of contention between neoliberals and realists?

The main point of contention between neoliberals and realists is the concept of power with respect to an institutional set-up. "What distinguished my argument from structural realism," Keohane writes, "is my emphasis on the effects of international institutions and practices of state behavior." For Keohane, their point-of-departure was at the systemic level.

Who didn't believe that the bigger the group, the better the outcome?

The prevailing understanding is that the bigger the group, the better the outcome. Olson sought to understand why bigger groups are a mess because he disagrees with this understanding.

To neoliberals, what constrains actors choices? What makes the policy of cooperation difficult?

They argue that actor's choices are constrained by a larger international system. Through partial information, partial knowledge, bounded rationality, and other institutional constraints, the policy of cooperation is difficult, but possible.

How can the situation be made better in the absence of government?

Two possibilities: privileged group or small group

If there is no government can people rely on each other to provide public goods? Why or why not?

What if there is no government? Cannot only rely on each other because people have the tendencies to not fulfill their obligations given that they have other desires. Everyone is faced with the same set of incentives. This underlies the collective action problems Olson was studying.

What do neoliberal institutionalists emphasize?

What they emphasize: international institutions and regimes.

What underlies the neoliberal approach to international relations? What is the problem with this?

What underlies this approach is that there is a lot of unrealized cooperation in the global system. → There are a lot of situations that look like a prisoner's dilemma. If they could trust each other, they would be interested in the mutually collective outcome. The problem is that we know the temptation (based on the structure of the dilemma) is that actors should defend. These people are trying to find ways to increase cooperation in the context of the prisoner's dilemma situation, which they think characterizes international relations.

What's a privileged group?

When one person offers to fulfill their obligation, but you get their gains (if it were a party, it's his soda, his chips, his music, etc.)

If you don't have a big state to create an international regime, how can you achieve it.

You don't need a big state to accomplish this. Small group of countries willing to form something, not just one

What's crucial to a neoliberal approach is the view that international politics are characterized by?

a series of collective action problems

To a neoliberal, what is more important, absolute or relative gains?

absolute gains

Having a small group diminishes?

collective action problems

Small groups have an easier time ______ than the big group, but a harder time than the privileged group. They are able to ______ people more easily. There is a tendency for a small group to ____ the large (everybody else thats receiving the effects of the public goods)

cooperating, monitor

The bigger actors are going to control the _____, and the smaller actors will be the ones to _____. Why is this the case?

decisions or outcomes, defect. This is because their consumption of a good wont diminish your consumption of it, but they are going to get what you want rather than what they want.