Beyond Gilpin Type Economic Nationalism

This essay surpasses as well as develops the thoughts of Economic Nationalism by Robert Gilpin on the basis of realism which is state-centrism, using the theory frame of International Political Economy. Gilpin sees Economic Nationalism as the economical opinion of the realism is state-centrism and also Economic Nationalism is equal to Mercantilism and Protectionism. This analysis corresponds to the common thoughts of Economic Nationalism:protective, radical and irrational. But problem of the "Gilpin’s typology of Economic Nationalism" is that he forgets the key concept of "nation" in Economic Nationalism. Although the meanings of nation and state are quite similar in the contemporary society, yet this he uses political state to replace the nation in the social cultural structure, this is obviously a huge leak. As the development of International Political Economy Discipline, especially the rise of constructivism, its discussion of non-political culture in the international system and the thoughts of constructivism interests provide an important theoretical basis to the further development of Economic Nationalism. The main concept of the dissertation includes:Chapter one traces the origin of nationalism, gives analysis on nationality, nationalism, nation-state and the relationship among them. Nation-state is the combination of nationality and nation; it includes political national sovereignty and the national identity of social and culture structure. The origin of nationalism is in Britain, while the competition with absolutism dynasty countries from Western Europe. This is extreme important to help distinguish the thoughts of economic nationalism. Besides that, it briefly analyzes the development periods and historical backgrounds of economic nationalism, concludes that polices of economic nationalism is changing and improving with the time and situation.Chapter two puts a retrospective analysis on the development of International Political Economy, especially to the three controversies. It points out that International Political Economy Discipline enters into a new field after90s in the20th century, the hypothesis of non-government status has changed from "Hobbes"’into "Locke’s", research goes in the level crossing way as "national-international-national", the view of the research puts more emphasis on the economical interests, surpassing the field of "powerful politics". In particular, constructivism expands the hypothesis of international system non-government statues, and the thesis of "idea constructive interests, interests determine acts" widely expands the thoughts of study the Economic Nationalism. It points out after bringing "nation" back into economic nationalism, nations would agree to constructive national interests, and then national interests would affect the export policies. So the difference approved by every fields of nations would lead to a compromise between Economic Nationalism and other different kinds of policies, even including the liberalism policy.The comments on Gilpin’s typology of Economic Nationalism would be declared in details in chapter three. The features of Gilpin’s thoughts of Economic Nationalism is summarized as1) practically, the policy suggestion of the answer to the decline of American Hegemony.2) Theoretically, the economical view of state-centrism realism. 3) Politically, the policy system of an opposite theory of economic liberalism. The other part of chapter three elaborates the constructivism sight of Economic Nationalism where nation is agree to regress, it shows that in the process of nation-state’s formation, establishment and development, international system of nation-state is dynamic, it changes as historical circumstance changes, so every country’s economic nationalism is not invariable, it shows different policy forms along with different condition. Even if it’s facing to the same international system, every single nation-state has its different opinion therefore huge difference of policy forms, which could be both liberalism policy and protectionism policy. This sight of view breaks the motionless Hobbes’non-government status international self-service system hypothesis, to use national identity replace national interests analysis; it achieves to surpass Gilpin’s Economic Nationalism by using the analysis of national identity to constructivism instead of national interests.Chapter four looks back to the20th century, as the rise and spread of nationalism, nation-state is gradually forming a development history of this period of economic nationalism. With the theoretical basis of economic nationalism which national identity to the constructivism, chapter four analyses the effect to the historical source of the economic nationalism and also to the independence and development of the nation-state with historical examples. Though Western European countries practice mercantilism policies, yet only the mercantilism under the nationalism isn’t economic nationalism, other mercantilism in the countries where hold absolutism is not economic nationalism. However the fact of Britain changes from mercantilism into liberalism also proves the diversity of economic nationalism. Under the example and oppress from Britain economic nationalism, economic nationalism of USA, France, German, Japan and other Latin American countries rise in succession, nation-states have been widely established, the protective economic nationalism which is elaborated by List plays an essential role here. But due to the difference of country establishment and national identity, national interests overwhelms individual interests and the popularity of collective type nationalism with the leader of German and Japan finally leads into the first World War outbreak, and also become a flash point and also an important economic tool to the second World War outbreak.Chapter five mainly analyses the development and transition of economic nationalism after world war two. The background of contemporary economic nationalism transition includes:Intense strike of ideology during the cold war, economic nationalism was covered and weaken. Ideology league disappeared after the cold war, the importance of international economical competition replaced traditional military security. With a rapid development of economic globalization and informatization, the contradict of economic nationalism and economic globalization gets serious. Emerging economic and new century rise rapidly, the strength of developed countries is comparatively declined.However the reason for the transition of economic nationalism after world war two mainly includes:to reconsider the damage of extreme economic nationalism, to promote free trade and against protection to be the international common view, to achieve the common view of industrialization, to make the popularity of government interfering the economic and pursuing trade surplus, to break down the superstition of new economic liberalism in developing country. Compared with traditional protective economic nationalism policy, in the respect of trait, the changes of contemporary economic nationalism lie in the following aspects:liberalism policy in economy has been part of the economic nationalism; with the increasing global trend of regionalism, economic nationalism has been beyond the limit of national regionalism; the developing countries have worked as free trade promoter, while the developed ones have become the protective trade pioneer; the employment protection-oriented policy has been grown, while the working-class interests have been given high priority to; the economic nationalism has been greatly reformed to find legal loophole, or launch the incendiary slogan. At last, to forecast and analyze the developing trend of economic nationalism during and after the current international financial crisis. This dissertation stands a view that liberal policy of economic nationalism is still the main stream, but still couldn’t eliminate the possibility of some countries’ protective economic nationalism would last.