Economic Ideas and International Relations: Beyond Rational Neglect
- 1 June 1995
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in International Studies Quarterly
- Vol. 39 (2) , 161-180
- https://doi.org/10.2307/2600845
Abstract
This article makes the case for investigating much more closely the substance of economic ideas in international relations. Recent attention to ideas in international relations assesses the impact of ideas on policy making but tells us very little about what types of economic ideas are most likely to be influential. Rather, the attention in “rationalist” approaches to international political economy is on political processes, given a set of actors' preferences or perceptions of interests. Ignored are the reasons particular sets of economic ideas are invoked to define these preferences and interests. This article offers a critique of existing rationalist approaches to economic ideas and international relations and sets out a preliminary new research agenda. The new agenda draws on insights from psychological and social theory so as explicitly to address what types of economic ideas are most likely to influence foreign economic policy making.This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- Patterns of Dissent and the Celebration of Difference: Critical Social Theory and International RelationsInternational Studies Quarterly, 1990
- Studying InstitutionsJournal of Theoretical Politics, 1989
- Interests and Theories in Constitutional ChoiceJournal of Theoretical Politics, 1989