Things We Lost in the Fire: How Different Types of Contestation Affect the Robustness of International Norms

Deitelhoff, Nicole; Zimmermann, Lisbeth

doi:10.1093/isr/viy080

Cited by 119 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…In some cases, the normative stance appeared to become weakened or “watered down,” as one agent concedes to “get something rather than nothing” through against opposition. At other times contestation can strengthen a norm by limiting its scope (Deitelhoff and Zimmerman ). Such an approach reflects ontological assumptions of constructivism are relativist, viewing knowledge and “truth” as constructed (Sterling‐Folker ; Wiener ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study of elite norm stewardship is grounded in second‐generation agentic and critical constructivism; it operates on similar ontological assumptions but devotes special attention to agency in ongoing processes of interpretation of normative constraints and opportunities. Their interactions may be critical to explaining qualitatively different outcomes, as policy processes and argumentation by different actors can help maintain the effectiveness and legitimacy of multilateral commitments (Deitelhoff and Zimmerman ; Sandholtz and Stiles ; Sikkink ). Political leaders frame and interpret normative constraints and opportunities, and are vested with the authority to allocate government resources.…”

Section: A Constructivist Model Of Nuclear Export Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nonproliferation and Norm Discourse: An Agentic Constructivist Model of U.S. Nuclear Export Policy Changes

Lantis

2016

Politics & Policy

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U.S. government claims of support for the global nonproliferation norm sometimes appear contradicted by dramatic changes in its policies regarding support for peaceful nuclear energy programs around the world. This study offers a new accounting of foreign policy decision making relative to global nonproliferation normative architectures as a product of norm-based differences between presidents and congressional leaders over technology sharing. It advances an agentic constructivist model of the export policy process and conducts a plausibility probe of the model through three case studies of export control reform debates. It also examines alternative theory models focused on strategic imperatives, foreign policy change, and neoliberal economics. Case evidence suggests that different alignments in norm stewardship, and the interactions of key agents regarding perceived norm commitments, help account for export policy struggles. These often translate into unique and complex policy outcomes, suggesting the value of contingent models of policy change and international cooperation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: A Constructivist Model Of Nuclear Export Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonproliferation and Norm Discourse: An Agentic Constructivist Model of U.S. Nuclear Export Policy Changes

Lantis

2016

Politics & Policy

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“…Due to the underdetermined nature of the sustainability concept, it can be seen that one essential challenge of transformation lies in social discursive negotiation processes. These are necessary in order to be able to reach consensus on future developments [16] and to correspondingly stabilize sustainability norms [24]. In addition, the increasing fragmentation of society into different communities of interest with decreasing opportunities for communicative-discursive exchange seems to be enforced by the virtual sphere of digital media [62] (p. 162).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both the lack of normative determination and the ongoing development of the sustainability concept do not offer a normative stabilized basis for decision-making and corresponding strategies. Rather, extensive negotiation processes are necessary [16], and which are also seen as a way to stabilize norms in the political understanding of this [24]. Therefore, a consequent procedural understanding of sustainability is necessary: "The lesson for sustainability is that we will not be able to define our way to clarity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Discourse-Based Understanding of Sustainability Education and Decision Making

Meisert

Böttcher

2019

Sustainability

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Based on the indeterminate character of the sustainability concept, a procedural and discursive understanding of sustainability decision making and corresponding approaches for education for sustainability (EFS) is proposed. A set of criteria for teaching strategies to promote sustainability decision making, taking into account the demands of deliberative democracy theory, are presented. These criteria (such as reason, complexity management, critical thinking, etc.) are used to argue for an educational approach that involves the development, justification, and weighting of arguments in combination with an instructional tool called Target-Mat. According to a consequent process orientation, structures for arguing or defining sustainability are not given as authorized standards. Suggestions from previous social discourse are only introduced as controversial pairings-for example, different definitions of sustainability. Examples of student decision-making processes are given to demonstrate the potential of the approach to encourage student reflection and cooperative negotiation that engenders a successive deepening of their argumentation. strengthen the general critical reflection of the process. This only takes place when diverse viewpoints of different interest groups (or representatives of such groups) are included in the process. Therefore, deliberation concerns values of participants, but as it is not always clear which concrete interests or arguments are connected to abstract values, these have to be made concrete during deliberation in order to make interests and arguments available for negotiation.Referring to Cohen [33], Chappell summarizes key features as background conditions for deliberative democracy, such as the process relying on a free and independent association for deliberation of equals, no necessary commitment to any belief structure, a transparent relation between the process and the outcome, and the recognition of participants as legitimate deliberators.Having given these conditions as the basis for deliberation, the procedure itself is characterized by the following aspects [37] (p. 25):"Freedom. Members of a deliberative democracy are bound only by the results of their own deliberation, and the fact that decisions are arrived at through deliberation is a sufficient reason to comply with them.Reason. The results of deliberation depend only on the reasons members of the group present for making, defending or opposing a proposal.Equality. Members of a deliberative democracy are both formally and substantively equal.Consensus. The aim of ideal deliberation is to arrive at a consensus. In the absence of a consensus, decisions may be made through voting".

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“…Within International Relations, the concept of "norm contestation" has been used to refer to such semantic disputes over shared standards (Wiener 2007;Deitelhoff and Zimmermann 2013). Norm contestation concerns "intersubjective disagreement on the norm's content" (Jose 2018, 3).…”

Section: Ambiguity and The Politics Of Interpretationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ambiguity and interpretive politics in the crisis of European values: evidence from Hungary

Mos

2020

East European Politics

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The European Union, courtesy of Orbán's Fidesz and Kaczyński's Law & Justice, is supposedly experiencing a crisis of values. This article points to two fatal errors in the design of EU values: ambiguity and practical unenforceability. Politicians can exploit these flaws by interpreting ambiguous values in self-serving ways. Based on an analysis of the Hungarian Prime Minister's speeches, it shows that descriptions of Orbán as an unrepentant challenger of EU values miss the mark. Instead, Orbán used the plasticity of EU values to style himself as a pro-European statesman, ready to steer the Union back to its moral roots.

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Things We Lost in the Fire: How Different Types of Contestation Affect the Robustness of International Norms

Cited by 119 publications

References 80 publications

Nonproliferation and Norm Discourse: An Agentic Constructivist Model of U.S. Nuclear Export Policy Changes

Nonproliferation and Norm Discourse: An Agentic Constructivist Model of U.S. Nuclear Export Policy Changes

Towards a Discourse-Based Understanding of Sustainability Education and Decision Making

Ambiguity and interpretive politics in the crisis of European values: evidence from Hungary

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