INSTITUTIONALISM

Institutions and their role in shaping European Security

Institutions • include any form of constraint (formal or informal)

that human beings devise to shape their interaction• reduce uncertainty by establishing a stable structure

to human interaction

Contemporary approaches to institutionalism• Historical institutionalism (1960s)• Rational choice instutionalism (late 1970s)• Sociological institutionalism (late 1970s)

Historical institutionalism

• formal political institutions matter: but which ones and how?

• the institutional structure of the polity is a crucial factor behind behaviour and outcomes

• ‘structuralism’ (institutions) vs. ‘functionalism’ (needs)

• a state consists of institutions which are able to influence group conflict

Key concepts of historical institutionalism

Institutions:

• organizations• rules, conventions, norms, etc.• provide an environment for individuals, who benefit

by following certain patterns of behaviour• disproportionately distribute power across social

groups• are central in determining historical development• are never a single factor

Rational choice institutionalism

• draws on ‘new economics of organization’ and ‘theories of agency’

• institutions are both object and consequence of choice• development of institutions lowers the cost of

undertaking the same activity without them• superiors (principals) monitor and influence behaviour

of their subordinates (agents)

Key concepts of rational choice institutionalism

• Relevant actors have a fixed set of preferences or tastes

• Politics is a series of collective action dilemmas• Institutions structure interactions, providing actors

with exchange mechanisms, which leads to potentially better outcomes

• Institutions are created by voluntary agreement by actors who share common goals/values, in order to realize them (gains from cooperation => origins of institutions)

Sociological institutionalism

• Originates from the subfield of organization theory• Institutions are: - culturally-specific - moral templates• Individuals internalize the norms associated with

institutional roles (=> identity and preferences)• Individuals perceive their actions in a particular context

Studies of international institutions

• Early postwar period (LoN, UN, GATT, IMF)

• Behaviouralism

• Neofunctionalism

• International regimes

Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye

Power and Interdependence: World Politics in Transition (1977) international issues, developments in technology, global trade will create a new

environment where states and their use of force will be of little importance

After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy (1984)

‘prisoner’s dilemma’ hegemony: a contributing factor, not a necessary condition international regimes• collective action• transaction costs (bounded rationality)• uncertainty and information deficit

Institutional theories

liberal institutionalism

collective security theory

critical theory

Debates since 1980s• How institutions matter?• Do they really have an impact on state behaviour?• Collaboration vs. coordination• Interactive theories (domestic politics)

Institutionalism vs. realismJohn Mearsheimer (1994) insitutions are only reflecting distribution of power liberal institutionalism ignores relative gains collective security theory is unrealistic critical theory aims at replacing realism with utopian expectations the three theories have inadequate empirical record

International theory and security relations• states cooperate to pursue common interests• harmony not implied• reciprocity, accountability, cooperative strategies• information and signalling mechanisms

Security institutions: • military force• use of threat• vital interests

Security institutions: effects• strategies / state security policies• outcomes (altering power resources)• influence (soft power)• ideas and norms

NATO: still here?

• level of institutionalization• exclusive vs. inclusive model• threats and risks• adaptability: hybrid institutions• the nature of European environment• member-state commitment• hybrid nature => security management

CFSP/ESDP• substantive policy outcome• explicit aspirations• exogenous and endogenous factors• functional and normative principles• internalizaton

OSCE• 1994 institutionalization of CSCE reflecting

changing scope of operations