RI Political Impacts of Globalisation Slides

Political Impacts of Globalisation

Political Globalisation•Intensification and expansion of political interrelations across the globe•Growing significance of international organisations (either IGOs or INGOs)•Challenges to old territorial concepts of “domestic” vs. “foreign”•Transnational actorshave implications on state sovereignty as IGOs, INGOs and TNCs influence state decision-making(Steger, 2009)

Politics•Political decisions are those that are public and authoritative; they take place within a society or community—a political system•Politics deals with collective decisions that extend beyond individual and private life, typically involving government action (public vs. private spheres)•Political decisions are bindingfor members of that political system; governments and authorities may use persuasion, inducements, or brute force to ensure compliance (Powell, Dalton & Strøm, 2012)

Government•Organisationsof individuals who have the power to make binding decisionson behalf of a particular community•Have authoritative and coercive powers and do many things (wage war, promote/restrict trade, control borders, tax populations, etc.)(Powell, Dalton & Strøm, 2012)

Key Political Concepts•Power•The abilityto influence the behaviourof others in a manner not of their choosing; associated with the ability to punish and reward•Authority•The rightto influence the behaviourof others, based on an acknowledged duty to obey rather than any form of coercion or manipulation (“legitimate power”)•May be traditional, charismatic or legal-rational

Key Political Concepts•Nation•A group of people that have a shared sense of imagined community, and regard themselves as a natural political community•State•A political association that exercises sovereign jurisdiction within defined territorial boundaries, and which exercises authority through a set of permanent, public institutions: executive, legislature, judiciary, bureaucracy, military and police(Heywood, 2007)

The Modern Nation-State•Conceived at 1648 Peace of Westphalia•States are their own ultimate authority•Cross-border conflicts are private matters between parties involved•States have full right to use force to resolve differences (e.g. declare war)•States are essentially free to pursue their own self-interest, even at the cost of others’(Steger, 2009)

Sovereignty•Supreme legal authority and unlimited political power over the entire population within a territorial boundary•Typically ensured by a monopoly on coercive force and the legitimate use of violence (internal sovereignty)•Having the ability to act as an independent and autonomous entity, possessing the right to make binding agreements with other sovereign states (external sovereignty)(Heywood, 2007)