Quantitative Analysis and International Relations Theories Flashcards

A set of 70 vocabulary flashcards covering IR theoretical frameworks (Realism, Liberalism, Marxism, Constructivism) and core social science research design concepts.

Theory (Baylis, Smith, & Owens)

A simplifying device that allows us to decide which facts matter and which do not.

Theory (Morgenthau)

Constructs that bring order and meaning to a mass of phenomena that would otherwise remain disconnected and unintelligible.

Theory (Jackson & Sorensen)

A specific set of lenses through which we view the world, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Theory (Daddow)

Simplified versions of complex reality designed to select specific facts among millions of possibilities.

"Take it or leave it" approach

A perspective on IR theory that completely separates reality from theory and argues the two should not be mixed.

"Theory is inescapable" approach

A perspective arguing that human cognitive limitations force everyone to use theoretical frameworks to select which facts to observe.

Great Debate 1

The foundational IR theoretical debate contrasting Idealism with Realism.

Great Debate 2

The IR debate contrasting Behavioralists (or scientists) with Traditionalists.

Great Debate 3

The IR debate focused on Neorealism versus alternative theoretical perspectives.

Great Debate 4

The IR debate comparing Positivist approaches with Post-positivist approaches.

Problem-Solving Theory

A theoretical category that accepts the world as it currently exists, primarily represented by Realism and Liberalism.

Critical Theory

A theoretical category that critiques existing social frameworks and allows for alternative social and political orders, represented by Marxism and Constructivism.

Statism

The realist core concept viewing the state as the legitimate representative of the collective national will.

Survival

The primary political priority for any state in a conflictual world according to Realism.

Self-help

The principal principle of action for states operating within an anarchical international order without a world government.

Realist view of the international system

An anarchic environment where states must operate as self-interested, primary actors.

Realist view of war

A permanent and inevitable feature of international relations.

High politics in Realism

Issues concerning national security and state survival that dominate international affairs.

Classical Realism

A strand of realism asserting that state behavior and the drive for power are rooted in human nature.

Structural Realism (Neorealism)

A strand of realism asserting that systemic anarchy, rather than human nature, drives states into a self-help logic.

Neoclassical Realism

A strand of realism that combines systemic international anarchy with unit-level domestic variables like leadership and power perception.

E.H. Carr

Classical realist scholar who authored The Twenty Years' Crisis, 1919-1939.

Hans Morgenthau

Classical realist author of Politics Among Nations, asserting that international politics is governed by objective laws rooted in human nature.

Kenneth Waltz

Structural realist author of Theory of International Politics, arguing that anarchy compels states to maximize their security.

John Mearsheimer

Structural realist author of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, arguing that anarchy forces states to maximize relative power to achieve hegemony.

Gideon Rose

Neoclassical realist scholar who authored Neoclassical Realism and Theories of Foreign Policy.

Fareed Zakaria

Neoclassical realist author of From Wealth to Power.

Liberalism Element: Reason

The liberal core belief that the world possesses a rational order capable of delivering freedom and justice.

Liberalism Element: Rights

The liberal belief that rights to life, liberty, and property are fundamental and inviolable.

Liberalism Element: Representation

The belief that rational individuals possess the right to participate in government or be represented in political affairs.

Liberal assumption on international state relations

States are not the only important actors, and peace can be a natural condition or deliberately constructed.

Democratic Peace Theory

The liberal proposition that democratic states rarely, if ever, go to war with one another.

Liberal Internationalism

A strand associated with Kant, Bentham, and Smith arguing that reason delivers peace through the expansion of domestic social contracts.

Idealism (IR Strand)

A liberal strand associated with Hobson and Wilson proposing that peace requires democratic world governance and collective security.

Liberal Institutionalism / Pluralism

A liberal strand associated with Mitrany, Haas, Keohane, and Nye emphasizing non-state actors, integration, and spill-over dynamics.

Neo-liberal Internationalism

A liberal strand associated with Doyle and Fukuyama focusing on democratic peace and promoting liberal democratic values worldwide.

Neo-idealism

A liberal strand associated with Falk and Held addressing global democratic deficits through cosmopolitan democracy and globalization from below.

Neo-liberal Institutionalism

A strand associated with Axelrod, Keohane, and Oye arguing that international institutions mitigate anarchy by lowering transaction costs and enforcing reciprocity.

Theory of History (Marxism)

The Marxist conceptual element explaining how human historical progression is driven by economic dynamics and class struggles.

Theory of Capitalism (Marxism)

The Marxist element examining the internal logic, exploitation, and contradictions of capitalist economic structures.

Historical Structuralism

The perspective within Marxism assuming that global capitalism determines the position and behavior of international actors.

Primary actors in Historical Structuralism

Socio-economic classes rather than individual states or nations.

Primary issue area in Historical Structuralism

Economic relations and class dynamics, rather than strategic or military security.

Dependency Theory

A structuralist theory focusing on the exploitative terms of economic exchange between developed core nations and underdeveloped peripheral nations.

Metropolitans (Dependency Theory)

Developed or colonizing nations that accumulate wealth at the center of the global economy.

Satellites (Dependency Theory)

Underdeveloped or colonized nations that remain economically dependent on foreign capital.

Declining Terms of Trade

The mechanism in Dependency Theory where peripheral nations export low-value raw materials while importing high-value manufactured goods, worsening inequality.

Unequal Exchange

The exploitative trade mechanism through which surplus value flows from peripheral economies to metropolitan core economies.

World Systems Theory

An approach developed by Immanuel Wallerstein proposing a global economic hierarchy consisting of core, semi-periphery, and periphery regions.

Core Countries (World Systems Theory)

Dominant capitalist nations that exploit peripheral regions for cheap labor and raw materials while exporting high-profit goods.

Periphery Countries (World Systems Theory)

Capital-poor nations dependent on core countries, providing primary commodities and cheap labor.

Semi-Periphery Countries (World Systems Theory)

Intermediate nations acting as structural buffers, combining characteristics of both core and peripheral areas.

Flow of resources in Wallerstein's model

Cheap labor and raw materials move from periphery to core, while high-profit consumption goods flow from core to periphery.

Constructivism Element: Idealism

The emphasis on how shared ideas, beliefs, and knowledge shape actor identities and international interests.

Constructivism Element: Holism

The perspective that normative social structures constrain actors while simultaneously constructing their identities.

Constructivism Element: Identity

An actor's self-understanding constructed through social interaction in relationship to an 'other'.

Constructivist view of norms

Shared expectations of appropriate behavior that actively shape state identities through continuous socialization.

Thin Constructivism (Realist Constructivism)

A variant that incorporates state identities into neorealist analytical frameworks without discarding structural assumptions.

Thick Constructivism (Liberal Constructivism)

A variant examining how social norms deeply construct actor identities and guide global political behavior.

Alexander Wendt

Constructivist theorist famous for stating that 'anarchy is what states make of it.'

Oliver Daddow's view on social reality

The idea that social realities are not given by nature, but are created and sustained through human practices.

Issue area mechanisms in Constructivism

Perception, identity, social culture, and international socialization.

Research Paradigm

An underlying model or framework that shapes how researchers observe, interpret, and understand reality.

Three core elements of a Research Paradigm

Ontology, Epistemology, and Methodology.

Ontology

The branch of philosophy concerned with the science of being and the fundamental nature of reality.

Epistemology

The branch of philosophy concerned with the science of knowing and how reality can be understood or measured.

Methodology

The specific operational procedures, methods, and rules used to investigate reality.

Positivism / Empiricism

A research paradigm asserting a single objective reality that can be observed and measured quantitatively.

Interpretivism / Constructivism (Research Paradigm)

A research paradigm asserting multiple constructed realities that require qualitative interpretation to understand meaning.

Realist IR Ontological position

An objective reality exists independently of human perception, characterized by an anarchic world.

Realist IR Epistemological stance

Reality can be objectively measured through observable events such as warfare and state conflicts.

Realist IR Methodological approach

Quantitative measurement and analysis of the frequency and intensity of interstate conflict.

Theory (Babbie, 2011)

A systematic explanation for observed facts and patterns relating to a specific aspect of social life.

Hypothesis

A testable expectation about empirical reality derived from a theory, linking two or more variables.

Variable

A logical grouping or set of attributes that can vary across subjects or observations.

Independent Variable

The variable hypothesized to cause, influence, or explain changes in another variable.

Dependent Variable

The outcome variable that is expected to change as a result of variations in the independent variable.

Construct

A theoretical creation based on observations that cannot be directly or indirectly observed.

Conceptualization

The process of explicitly specifying and defining the exact meaning of theoretical concepts used in research.

Nominal Definition

A conceptual definition that functions like a dictionary entry to describe what a variable means theoretically.

Operational Definition

A set of explicit instructions outlining exact empirical measurements and indicators used for a variable in research.

Attribute

A specific characteristic or quality that describes a subject or variable (e.g., 'educated' or 'uneducated').

Dimension

A specific, specifiable sub-facet or aspect of a broader theoretical concept.

Indicator

An empirical observation chosen to reflect the presence, degree, or magnitude of a theoretical variable.

Nominal Level of Measurement

A measurement scale that classifies data into distinct, non-numeric categories without any inherent ranking.

Ordinal Level of Measurement

A measurement scale where categories can be logically ordered or ranked, but intervals between ranks are not equal or quantifiable.

Interval Level of Measurement

A measurement scale with ordered categories and equal distances between points, but lacking an absolute zero point.

Ratio Level of Measurement

A measurement scale with equal intervals and a true, absolute zero point allowing for direct proportion comparisons.

Precision

The degree of fine distinction or exactness made between attributes composing a measured variable.

Accuracy

The extent to which a measured value reflects the true or actual state of the phenomenon under study.

Reliability

The consistency of a measurement technique, ensuring identical results upon repeated applications to the same subject.

Validity

The extent to which an empirical measure accurately captures the theoretical concept it was designed to evaluate.

Research Process Step 1: Interest/Idea

The initial stage where a general curiosity or specific research question originates.

Research Process Step 2: Theory

Consulting or formulating systematic explanations to guide hypothesis development and conceptual structure.

Research Process Step 3: Conceptualization

Clarifying precise theoretical meanings for key research terms and variables.

Research Process Step 4: Operationalization

Determining concrete, practical methods to measure variables in empirical research.

Research Process Step 5: Research Method Selection

Choosing the specific study design, such as surveys, experiments, field work, or comparative analysis.

Research Process Step 6: Population and Sampling

Identifying the target group of interest and selecting a representative sample for observation.

Research Process Step 7: Observations

The empirical data collection stage where real-world information is systematically gathered.

Research Process Step 8: Data Processing

Transforming collected qualitative or quantitative raw data into formats suitable for analysis.