The Global Interstate System and Economic Sovereignty

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts of global interstate systems, sovereignty, economic integration stages, theories of European integration, transnational activism, and global governance.

State (Max Weber definition)

A compulsory political organization with a centralized government that maintains a monopoly on the legitimate use of force within a certain territory.

Golden Straitjacket

A term coined by journalist Thomas Friedman for globalization because it forces states to adopt policies that please investment houses and corporate managers.

Electronic Herd

Thomas Friedman's term for investment houses and corporate managers who quickly transfer money and resources to nations they consider responsive.

Neoliberalism

The elevation of capitalism as a mode of production into an ethic, a set of political imperatives, and a cultural logic.

Economic Sovereignty

The power of national governments to make decisions independently of those made by other governments.

International Legal Sovereignty

A concept of sovereignty referring to the acceptance of a given state as a member of the international community.

Westphalian Sovereignty

A concept of sovereignty based on the principle that one sovereign state should not interfere in the domestic arrangements of another.

Interdependence Sovereignty

The capacity and willingness of a state to control flows of people, goods, and capital into and out of the country.

Domestic Sovereignty

The capacity of a state to choose and implement policies within its territory.

European Integration

The process of industrial, political, legal, economic, social, and cultural integration of states wholly or partially in Europe.

Preferential Trading Area (PTA)

An agreement to reduce or eliminate tariff barriers on selected goods imported from other member countries within a geographical region.

Tariff

A tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports.

Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)

Agreements that eliminate import tariffs as well as import quotas between signatory countries.

Customs Union

A stage of economic integration involving the removal of tariff barriers between members, together with the acceptance of a common or unified external tariff against non-members.

Common Market (CM)

A major step towards economic integration that combines free trade and unified external tariffs with the free movement of factors of production.

Economic Union

A trading bloc that has both a common market among members and a common trade policy towards non-members, while members remain free to pursue independent macroeconomic policies.

Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)

An integration stage involving a single economic market, a common trade policy, a single currency, and a common monetary policy.

Complete Economic Integration

The final stage of economic integration, in which member states completely forego independence in both monetary and fiscal policies.

Political Integration

The integration of components within political systems, the integration of political systems with economic/social systems, and the political processes by which these systems become integrated.

Neo-functionalism

A theory focusing on the supranational institutions of the EU, driven by interest group activity, political party activity, and the roles of governments and supranational institutions.

Intergovernmentalism

A theory emphasizing the role of nation-states in European integration, arguing that integration is driven by the interests and actions of nation-states.

New Institutionalism

A theory emphasizing the importance of institutions in the process of European integration, divided into rational choice, sociological, and historical key strands.

Liberal Intergovernmentalism

A political theory developed by Andrew Moravsik in 1993 that aims to apply rational institutionalism to the field of European integration.

Multi-level Governance (MLG)

A theory defined by Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks as the dispersion of authority across multiple levels of political governance.

Transnational Activism

The mobilization of collective claims by actors located in more than one country and/or addressing more than one national government or international organization.

Social Movement

The organizational structures and strategies that may empower oppressed populations to mount effective challenges and resist more powerful elites.

Global Justice Movement

A transnational movement often labeled the anti-globalization movement by the mainstream media.

Social Media

A computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas and information and the building of virtual networks and communities.

Global Governance

The sum of laws, norms, policies, and institutions that define, constitute, and mediate transboundary relations between states, cultures, citizens, organizations, and the market.