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The Country's Soft Power Obtained From The Provision Of International Public Goods

Posted on:2012-11-21Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:X P WuFull Text:PDF
GTID:1116330362960010Subject:Diplomacy
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This dissertation explores the relationship between sovereign power of states and collective power of international public goods (IPG). It takes WTO and GATT as the representative cases of international public goods and United States and China respectively as the representative cases of sovereign states.Structurally, this dissertation has four chapters.Chapter I is introduction to basic concepts. This dissertation defines power from the perspective of resource. Power simply is the process and ability of obtaining target resource by means of employing means resource. Since the way of using resource is different, power can be classified into soft power and hard power. With resource being the prerequisite of power, soft resource is the prerequisite of soft power. The international public goods, soft resource on the international level, has soft power values from which states can abstain or share by means of inventing new or contributing to already born international public goods.Chapter II is the theoretical foundation of the whole dissertation. This chapter makes a detailed analysis of the values of international public goods (IPG). Being soft resource on the international level, IPG has four soft power values. Firstly, IPG has utility values. Being man-made products, its man-madeness is the result of need-satisfaction motivation, therefore"usefulness"being a born feature of any man-made products, is the basic soft power value of IPG. Second, IPG has legitimacy value. Being formed by voluntary cooperations, voluntariness and public availability constitutes the foundation of IPG legitimacy, which is the moral base of IPG's collective power and guarantees its valid being in international anarchy. Third, IPG has institutional value. Rules means power and rule makers are certainly power holders. With unrivaled state power as safeguard, USA became the general designer of General Agreement of Tariff and Trade (GATT) who actualize his national interest under the protection and authorization of GATT's power. Fourthly, IPG has accumulative power. With non-exclusiveness and non-competitiveness being its defining features, IPG is an open system which can grow unlimitedly in size and significance. The growing of membership will not devalue IPG, instead, its value will grow since more users means more legitimacy and authority. Chapter III and IV are case studies, which studies the two ways of acquiring international soft power ---- inventing a new IPG or taking part in the provision of an already existed one.Chapter III studies how the United States acquires international soft power by means of inventing GATT. Rule-setting is soft power. Being inventor of GATT, US has the advantage of setting rules according to his own interest and preference. When these rules become part of the institution which are to be observed by all IPG members, US interest are internationally realized and guaranteed.Chapter IV is the study of how China acquires international soft power by means of joining in the provision and consumption of World Trade Organization (WTO). Though not being able to enjoy the privilege of rule-setting, by making use of well-established rule system of WTO, China can also benefit from the collective power of IPG.In conclusion, either by means of inventing a new IPG or joining in the provision of an established IPG, sovereign states can always benefit from taking part in the public collective power of IPG.
Keywords/Search Tags:international public goods, soft power, sovereign power, institutional power
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