International Institutions And State Power: Essays In International Relations Theory

by Robert O. Keohane

Genres: International Relations, Politics

270 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 1989

About the author

Robert O. Keohane (b. 1941) is an American scholar of international relations, best known for his work on neoliberal institutionalism. His numerous books include After Hegemony (1984) and Power and Governance in a Partially Globalized World (2002). Currently a professor at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, Keohane has received numerous awards for his scholarship. Among these, he was honored with the Centennial Medal of the Harvard Graduate School in 2012. Keohane received his bachelor's degree in 1961 from Shimer College, a Great Books school where he now sits on the Board of Trustees. He received his graduate education at Harvard, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1966. (from Shimer College Wiki)

Reviews

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keohane defines his theory of "neoliberal institutionalism" and explains to us the development of the theory and the progress of his own thought as an intellectual. He argues that though international systems lack centralized authority, and states continue to be the primary actors in world affairs, the institutionalization of patterns of cooperation and discord cannot be discounted as an influential factor in the analysis of world politics.

State actions are dependent upon and, in many cases, defined by both formal and informal understandings of institutional behavior. Established rules, norms or conventions provide the necessary frameworks and channels for the creation of international agreements. Keohane defends the Neoliberal Institutionalist as one who recognizes the difficulty of attaining or maintaining international agreements, made possible only through cooperative and communicative opportunities.

Keohane's call for renewed interest in and attention to international organizations, regimes and conventions is supported by a Microeconomic theory is a current that runs through Keohane's essays and provides a practical framework of data upon which to build a more integrated understanding of international relations. Overall, the book is clearly dated, but the call to pay closer attention to international conventions is one that still rings true.

[Oswar Mungkasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good book especially for the public policy student