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Foreign policy change and international norms: a conceptual framework

International Politics volume 54, pages 659–668 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Foreign policy change (FPC) is an important topic and has therefore attracted much scholarly attention. Yet, the literature has largely overlooked how FPC is related to international norms. This special issue seeks to add value to the field of foreign policy analysis by strengthening the empirical literature linking FPC and international norms. The papers in this issue tease out the intervening factors in facilitating the relationship between foreign policy change and the international norm. The introductory article introduces the conceptual framework which draws on both the structure–agency and “push–pull” debates to provide the cohesive analytical structure for the issue.

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Notes

  1. C.f. Marks, and Hooghe.Multi-Level Governance and European Integration. Scholars of MLG draw on insights of neo-institutional approaches, which highlight that institutional rules on all levels influence but do not determine actor behavior (March and Olsen 1998; Immergut 1998), on liberal approaches to IR, which content that states’ international behavior is influenced by domestic considerations or constraints (Putnam 1988; Lehman and McCoy 1992) The Dynamics of the Two-Level Bargaining Game. The 1988 Brazilian Debt Negotiations. World Politics 44:600–44.)

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Acknowledgements

For their helpful comments on previous versions of this work, we are grateful to the participants of the workshop, ‘Foreign Policy Changes and International Norms: Examining Internal and External Determinants’ in Freiburg, Germany, in October 2014. This research was supported by the Freiburg Institute for Advances Studies (FRIAS) at the University of Freiburg, Germany. Responsibility for any errors rests solely with the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Samuel Brazys

  2. Politics and International Relations, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

    Juliet Kaarbo

  3. Department of Political Science, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Diana Panke

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  1. Samuel Brazys
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  2. Juliet Kaarbo
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  3. Diana Panke
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Correspondence to Samuel Brazys.

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Brazys, S., Kaarbo, J. & Panke, D. Foreign policy change and international norms: a conceptual framework. Int Polit 54, 659–668 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-017-0063-7

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Keywords

  • Foreign policy
  • Foreign policy change
  • International norms
  • Global governance
  • International organizations