Integrating Project Seminar (395-0-2)

Topic

Social Pressure in World Politics

Instructors

Andres Matias Schelp

Meeting Info

University Hall 412: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Social Pressure in World Politics: Global Norms and the Politics of Evaluation

States regularly engage and interact with each other through diplomatic exchanges, economic negotiations, and military cooperation or disputes. Political actors, however, are not purely strategic decision-makers; they are also social beings guided by ideas, identities, and self-conceptions. Governmental officials, diplomats, bureaucrats at international organizations, and even international publics operate within a global environment in which information flows have become widespread, and where certain policies and behaviors are viewed as more legitimate or appropriate. Yet, international norms and ideas are not universally agreed upon—they are often subject to debate, contestation, and reinterpretation.

Consequently, while international pressure is commonly understood in its material dimension as (economic or military) coercion, global influences also operate through softer mechanisms: assessments and rankings, information flows, and normative understandings. In this course, we will examine how and to what extent these influences shape state behavior, bureaucratic decision-making, and individuals' political preferences, with particular attention to democratic and economic standards, comparative benchmarks, and formal ratings. We will also explore how social and political pressures shape the production of these assessments and, in turn, public perceptions and social knowledge.