Deck 5: Constructivism

Question 1

Outline the main elements of constructivism and discuss how they apply to IPE. Discuss why constructivism has become popular recently.

Answer 1

No Answer.

Question 2

Explain one of the conceptual tools of constructivism (framing, problematization, discourse analysis, or analyzing metaphors] and give an example of how a scholar applies it to a case.

Answer 2

No Answer.

Question 3

If a constructivist were discussing the issue of terrorism (or pick some other issue), how would he/she approach the issue differently from a proponent of the liberal, mercantilist, or structuralist perspective?

Answer 3

No Answer.

Question 4

Do you agree or disagree with those who feel that constructivism should be a major approach to IPE? Why?

Question 5

How might we use a constructivists perspective to frame an analysis of the global financial crisis? What actors and issues would we highlight? What policy recommendations would we likely make? What new elements would we introduce into the discussion?

Question 6

Why do many states abide by international norms even when they could gain significant material benefits by violating the norms?

Question 7

Explain how economic ideas and beliefs have shaped the policies of governments and international organizations.

Question 8

How do measures and indicators affect policy choices? What values are prioritized or ignored by focusing on these indicators: GDP, inflation, credit ratings, and the Corruption Perception Index?

Question 9

What are possible dangers of securitizing an issue? Give examples from issues such as terrorism, immigration, cyber hacking, and the drug trade.

Question 10

How do dominant identities and worldviews in the United States affect U.S. relations with other specific countries?

Question 11

What are some criticisms of constructivism?

Question 12

All of the following are central elements of constructivist analysis except:

A) the deconstruction of individual and state choices.
B) the relationship of state behavior and choices to society's norms and cultural values
C) the distribution of wealth and power between the major powers
D) reasons why state violate widely shared global norms

Question 13

Questions of identity and interest formation are considered to be analytically irrelevant to realists. Realists hold that beliefs and values do not have causal power because they will always be overwhelmed by

A) trade.
B) the distribution of wealth in the global economy.
C) globalization.
D) the structural realities of a self-help world.

Question 14

In the model of Martha Finnemore and Kathryn Sikkink, what are the three stages of the norm life cycle?

A) norm emergence, norm cascade, norm internalization
B) norm securitization, norm implementation, norm death
C) new norm, norm contestation, norm reversal
D) norm birth, norm spiral, norm reversal

Question 15

Which of the following is the best example of the impact of a "security community"?

A) Allies disagree with one another about their security interests and costs.
B) Rival states cooperate with one another because they come to share a sense of moral purpose and a level of mutual trust.
C) Espionage accumulates information about new war-making technology.
D) A hegemonic power is able to coerce other states into supporting its policies.

Question 16

Which of the following international "taboos" has the weakest support among China, Russia, the United States?

A) the use of nuclear weapons
B) the use of chemical weapons
C) the use of biological weapons
D) the use of anti-personnel landmines

Question 17

Which category of "norm entrepreneurs" is most likely to consist of many scientists with expertise in a policy-relevant domain?

A) epistemic communities
B) transnational advocacy networks
C) Committee of the Red Cross
D) _maquiladoras

Question 18

All of the following actors are civil society groups that participate in a transnational advocacy network except:

A) Amnesty International.
B) the International Committee of the Red Cross.
C) Western evangelical Christians.
D) the United Nations.

Question 19

All of the following scholars could be considered a constructivist with the exception of

A) Alexander Wendt.
B) Immanuel Wallerstein.
C) Richard Jackson.
D) Martha Finnemore.

Question 20

Which of the following is not likely to be a criticism of constructivists?

A) They focus overwhelmingly on progressive norms while understudying conservative norms.
B) They don't acknowledge enough that states often adopt new norms out of pure self-interest instead of moral conviction.
C) They don't focus enough on norms that fail to reach the stage of a norm cascade internationally.
D) They often fail to acknowledge that global problems are socially-constructed in a politicized process.

Question 21

Which of the following is not a widely shared international norm?

A) state sovereignty
B) sustainable development
C) ban on the stockpiling and use of anti-personnel landmines
D) securitization

Question 22

Which statement would a constructivist probably disagree with?

A) States' foreign policies are largely determined by their national interests and the international distribution of military power.
B) Identity relations between states shape how they understand each other's actions.
C) The discourse of political elites is a vital part of the process of securitization of an issue.
D) The social position of researchers affects the knowledge they produce.

Question 23

Which statement about epistemic communities is incorrect?

A) They are networks of experts with deep knowledge of a particular issue.
B) They are largely comprised of government elites who formulate strategies to advance a nation's foreign policies.
C) They provide "usable knowledge" to political negotiators.
D) They provide policy options to governments.

Question 24

The "foreign accountability norm" holds that

A) Great Powers are accountable for the human rights violations of their allies.
B) All states have a responsibility to hold accountable any state that commits war crimes.
C) Multinational corporations are accountable for the harmful social and environmental acts of their foreign suppliers.
D) The IMF can hold states accountable for repaying their loans.

Question 25

According to constructivists, what is a reason why a proposed new norm might fail to gain much acceptance at the global level?

A) Antipreneurs might cut the budgets of organizations likely to support the norm.
B) States rarely change their interests or understanding of right and wrong.
C) States usually violate norms when they can gain an advantage over other states.
D) None of the above.

Question 26

A policy maker who believes in the idea of "expansionary fiscal contractions" would likely advocate for what during a recession?

A) increasing government spending to raise demand in the economy
B) reducing government spending and lowering the government budget deficit.
C) lowering taxes on the poor and raising taxes on the wealthy.
D) increasing government loans to small businesses.