Power In Historical Institutionalism: The Conversion Of State's Institutional Power In International Relations

Drawing on the basic view of historical institutionalism on the gradual change of institutions,this study focuses on the analysis of the gradual nature of institutional power in international institutions,that is,the conversion of the institutional power.Specifically,a given country will adopt a legal gradual change It is a low-cost and effective way to transform the institutional power of the country on the basis of the existing institutions and finally achieve the purpose of safeguarding the national interests.This paper focuses on the following aspects,including the concept of power in historical institutionalism;The characteristics of international institutions from the perspective of historical institutionalism;The national institutional power conversion process,the process of the various stages of the form of expression;And the multiple consequences of the institutional power conversion.This paper aims to clarify that while acknowledging the existence of radical changes or major transitions,international institutions and institutional power are generally gradual.It is important to understand international relations from a progressive perspective,not to change in response to change,but to focus on the process and causality of change in order to be prepared for real change that may occur at any moment.Based on these research contents,this paper is mainly composed of the following parts:The first chapter to the three major schools of new institutionalism,institutional power in international relations,and international relations under the perspective of historical institutionalism of authority that several key comprehensively elaborated the concept of historical institutionalism and sociological institutionalism and rational choice institutionalism,and known as the three major schools of new institutionalism,three theories all have unique insights on system Among the three theories,historical institutionalism pays the most attention to time and process,which is completely consistent with the dominant idea of this paper.Although the concept of institutional power is not the mainstream research in the field of international relations,scholars have made abundant achievements in the study of institutional power.These research results provide a rich connotation for the concept of institutional power,while there are many gaps to supplement.On the basis of a comprehensive introduction to the concept of institutional power,this paper further extends the connotation of institutional power,and finally puts forward the historical institutionalism view of power.This view holds that the gradual transformation of the power embodied in the international system is an important and legitimate strategic behavior of the state when the international system is highly valued by all countries.Second chapter emphatically probes into the institutional power conversion,historical institutionalism perspective of the characteristics of the international system Since the beginning of the historical institutionalism,has always been the main areas of the domestic system,using historical institutionalism theory to analyze the international system is only in recent years,although some research achievements have been made,but there are still many issues need to discuss Why have many international systems remained relatively stable in general,even though they have experienced frequent violent small tremors? Or why is the stability of institutions important Through the study,we can find that many neoliberal institutionalist scholars of international relations,including Keohan,have noticed that the sudden change of most international institutions is difficult to achieve,which has a high similarity with the gradual change of institutions proposed by historical institutionalists.As an important concept in the analysis of domestic institutions by historical institutionalism,the gradual change of international institutions has a relatively important significance when it is used to understand the stability of international institutions.Many scholars in the academic circle have used these two concepts to explain the change of some international institutions,but there are still deficiencies in the theoretical framework.The theory of key nodes and path dependence tries to explain one of the premise assumptions of the paper,that is,the international system is indeed changing,but not in a drastic change.Such a change requires the stimulation of specific events,and after the stimulation,it will continue to maintain a stable state of path dependence.Finally,the article discusses the state why in a relatively stable system of institutional environment for switching power rather than remaking In other words,what is the final purpose of countries transform their institutional power In short,while historical institutionalism is mainly used to analysis the domestic system,but there are mutual between historical institutionalism and the international system is embedded.The third chapter shows the process of institutional transition Follow this process from the raw power of holding to the concept of new powers to hold Before the established or ready to set up the international system,the original institutional power had begun to accumulate After formally established the international system,institutional power first will be assigned to participate in the system of each country Game unfolds with the system in each country and institutional changes in the external environment and institutional power will become concentrated and gradually have a country or a nation group holding state in the initial stage of the scramble for institutional power is crucial,this directly relates to whether the system can be used for the country After holding the institutional power,the country began to use the institutional power.The application of institutional power includes institutional hegemony,institutional constraint and institutional competition.The process of applying institutional power is the process of testing institutional power.In this process,the state will judge the effectiveness of power and the cost and benefit of power,so as to decide to adjust institutional power with the change of external environment and the test of institutional power by the state,the state will update the institutional power.Such behavior includes withdrawal or threat of withdrawal from the system,and renegotiation within the framework of the system,etc.Update is the key step of the transformation,which determines whether the state will continue to complete the control of the international system After the renewal,if the country obtains the new institutional power,it will continue to exert influence on the international system and even the international system in a legal and low-cost way.If the renewal fails,it will face a series of adverse consequences,and even make the country regret the conversion of institutional power.The fourth chapter discusses the institutional power transformation of the consequences In addition to the consequences of power,the two concepts are introduced to explain the institutional consequences of institutional transition,including the expected consequences and unintended consequences A person or organization to make every behavior,such as reform and so on will have a look forward to the ideal goal,if this goal eventually,so unintended consequences are formed.Unexpected consequences are a little bit more complicated than expected consequences unintended consequences are the purposeful consequences of the actions of people or organizations that are not expected or foreseen and from a non-institutional perspective,institutional consequences are assumed to be in four categories: unintended institutional maturity,expected institutional maturity,unexpected institutional collapse,and expected institutional collapse.The fifth chapter,as a case study,selects the relatively weak countries and hegemons in the international system in a specific period as the objects,and discusses their institutional power transformation behavior,so as to test the rationality of the research framework of the paper.Firstly,the equality treaty signed by the Qing government and the Spanish government at the end of the Qing Dynasty is selected as the first case.At that time,as a relatively weak country,it was not easy for China to sign an equal treaty with Spain,an old capitalist power,to safeguard its own rights.Such a result was due to the continuous cognition and understanding of the treaty system between countries by the Qing government,and the proper use of institutional power.Second,select the Nixon shock as the second case,it is to point to by U.S.President Richard Nixon in 1971 in response to rising inflation in the United States and other countries about the dollar's manipulation,implements the freeze wages and prices,import surcharge and unilaterally cancel directly international U.S.dollars into gold,and a series of economic measures.By 1973,the current system,based on freely floating fiat currencies,had effectively replaced the Bretton Woods system.Although Nixon once again made the United States on the back of the name of unilateralism,but he saved the dollar,and maintained the financial hegemony of the United States as an important institutional power.The case nicely illustrates almost every aspect of institutional power.