Institutional Change and Policy Choice: A Theoretical Analysis Based on the Problem of the Allocation of International Public Goods
Author: Wang JinqiangSilver Editor Source: Contemporary Asia Pacific StudiesTime :2014-04-08 15:17:00
Abstract:In recent years, a large outpouring of international organizations and their relevant agreements have played a growing role on the international stage. While state actors continue to be the primary units of the international community, the relationship between them and international institutions continues to receive more widespread attention. There are many kinds of international institutions, which impact the foreign policy of states in different ways. The article argues that shifts in the international economic distribution system impact the policy choices of states. Distribution systems can be divided into marketoriented systems seeking efficiency and authority-oriented systems which prioritize an equitable distribution of resources. Market-oriented systems determine that state actors can maximize power and resource benefits according to their own capabilities and preferences, while in authority-oriented systems, it is international organizations, international institutions or other political authorities which directly or indirectly control and regulate power and resources. Assuming that preferences are fixed, changes in the system of distribution cause changes in the benefits received by state actors, and thereby determines their respective policy choices.
