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Bilateral investment treaties in the developing world: A discursive approach to the analysis of regime formation

Posted on:2009-02-04Degree:M.AType:Thesis
University:University of Manitoba (Canada)Candidate:Nicholls, EstebanFull Text:PDF
GTID:2446390002499603Subject:Political science
Abstract/Summary:
The objective of this thesis is to analyze the emergence of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) in the developing world with a particular focus on Ecuador. This thesis argues that the emergence of BITs responds to the dominant status of neoliberal development as a discursive formation. This thesis conducts its analysis based on the ideas and analytical precepts developed by French social philosopher and historian, Michel Foucault. It gives particular attention to Foucault's ideas about power, knowledge and discourse. Moreover, it analyzes how knowledge and power, joined in discourse, interact to form the basis of the policy alternatives and policy choices that constituted the origin of the BIT-based foreign direct investment regime.;A second objective of this thesis is to evaluate the saliency of interest-based and power-based International Relations (IR) theories in explaining the emergence of international regimes and systems of cooperation between states. This thesis finds that these theories underemphasize the importance of identity, interest and preference construction in processes of regime formation and interstate cooperation. It finds, furthermore, that conventional IR theories' understanding of the concept of power misconstrues the role of developed nations in influencing the policy choices of developing states such Ecuador.
Keywords/Search Tags:Developing, Investment, Thesis, Regime
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