The Case for Comparative Regional Analysis in International Politics
Year: 2022
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Chapter 2 reviews a large portion (roughly 230 articles) of the more recent quantitative literature on conflict and cooperation dynamics in international politics that involve some effort to include “region” as part of the analysis. The review notes that while there is little consensus regarding the definitionRegiondefinition and operationalization of “region”, most studies identifying regions report substantial and significant region effectsRegioneffects on the dependent variable of interest. In order the move towards a more comprehensive analysis of region effectsRegioneffects, the chapter proposes a new approach to conceptualizing and delineating regions on the basis of an opportunity and willingness frameworkOpportunity and willingness framework for regional delineation. Applying the approach, it then identifies the changing nature of regions and their membership in both Cold WarCold War and post-Cold WarPost-Cold War eras and discusses both the strengths and limitations of the approach. Then he chapter proposes a theoretical framework for examining conflict, cooperation, and diffusion dynamics across regions. It suggests three types of regional effects, but places primary emphasis on a comparative regional analysis that discriminates between regions based on differences created by hierarchical relationships both inside regions and globally, integrating structural approaches into the theoretical framework. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research and a series of caveats regarding both the identification of regions and the utility of the proposed framework.
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4292174872