Globalization and the Social Power Politics of International Economic Networks

41 Pages Posted: 26 Nov 2008

Date Written: November 24, 2008

Abstract

This article adopts a "Network as Structure" perspective to consider the rise and evolution of structural power inequalities in the international political economy; in it, we contrast inequalities in social power between states that result from relative possession of social capital due to density of ties through preferential trade agreements (PTAs) with inequalities in material power that result from relative possession of resources like guns and butter. We advance three aims in the pages to come: (1) to identify the type of social power created by the network of PTAs and distinguish it from standard concepts of material power in international relations-relative economic clout and military strength; (2) to generate empirical indicators to measure this concept that can be widely applied to the study of political economy; and (3) to trace the evolution of structural inequality in this type of social power between states over time.

Keywords: social networks, trade, centrality, structural equivalence

Suggested Citation

Hafner-Burton, Emilie Marie and Montgomery, Alexander H., Globalization and the Social Power Politics of International Economic Networks (November 24, 2008). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1306648 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1306648

Emilie Marie Hafner-Burton (Contact Author)

UCSD School of Global Policy and Strategy ( email )

9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0519
United States

HOME PAGE: http://gps.ucsd.edu/ehafner/

Alexander H. Montgomery

Reed College ( email )

3203 SE Woodstock Blvd.
Portland, OR 97202
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.reed.edu/~ahm

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