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Collective IdentityFormation and the

International StateAlexander Wendt

American Political Science Review (1994)

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The Reseach Question

Why would statescooperate at all?

Alexander Wendt (1958-)

Father of IR Constructivism

Anarchy Is What States Make of It (1992)

Social Theory of International Politics (1999)

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Prevalent Answers

Mancur Olsen (1932-1998)Rational Economist

The Logic of Collective Action: PublicGoods and the Theory of Goods (1965)

International cooperation is the problem of getting

exogenously-driven egotists to cooperate. However,

groups with more resources will have to do the bulk of the

work (thus less incentive), while weakers groups are likely

to freeride.

So rationalists, realists and liberals alike,focused on changing prices or constraints

outside of the system of interaction...

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Wendts Hypothesis

But it could also happen because states are

ENDOGENOUSLY driven by participation in internationalrelations rather than exogenous reasons.

It may be that neorealists and neoliberals may be right

(most of the time).

States participation at

International level

Forms of identityand interest

(continually expanding)

independent variable

dependent variable observable outcome

States domestic preferences

Collective Action

World Structure /Distribution of Power

Absolute power gains

Balancing against hegemony

Collective Action

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Why is identity so important?

Social IdentityCorporate Identity

Interests are determined by identity -- and there are two

levels of identity at play!

How I see myself How I think others

perceive meIntrinsic self-organising qualities that

constitute actor individuality. itgenerates four basic interests:

physical security, ontological security,recognition by others, internaldevelopment

Yes, thats symbolic interactionism!

Took IR long enough to get it.

George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)

Sets of meanings an actor attributesto itself while taking the perspective ofothers endogenous to the system.

Social identities can be cooperative orconflictual. What matters is howdeeply the social structures they

instantiate penetrate conceptions ofself.

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Mechanisms

Dynamic

Density

Common

Other

More Sensitive &

vulnerable

Systemic Processes

Less unilaterally able

to cope with corporate

needs

lower egoistic tendencies,

greater social identification

with other

Demonstration

effects, diffusion,

lesson learning

Spread of democratic

institutions, welfarism,

human rights

2

Transnational

Convergence of values

I guess our entire book is

evidence enough.

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Mechanisms

Repeated acts of cooperation leads to:(1) actors form identities based on

learning from interaction(2) the way actors project and sustain

presentations of self

Strategic Practice 3

EVIDENCE: John Ruggies EmbeddedLiberalism of the Postwar free-trade

regime.

CALL FOR SOLIDARITY

change ideas of who

constitutes the self

consciousness-raising,

dialogue, persuasion,

political argument,symbolic action

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Questions for Discussion

States participate at

International level

Forms of identityand interest

(continually expanding)

Collective Action

Are the causal links persuasive? How would you measure a change in social identity

(expanded)? Over-determinative of neorealist/neoliberal factors?

Too narrow to happen?