300150 State Competition (S) (WiSe 2022/2023)

In the social sciences, it is commonly assumed that nation-states compete. Yet, it is still largely up for debate how and for what states compete, and with which particular effects. Do they mainly compete for power and control of territories, or also for more symbolic goods, like attention and prestige? How do these forms of competition interact, and how do they affect international politics?

How we understand state competition has major implications for the analysis of international politics: How do various forms of competition affect conflict and war among nation-states? What is the relationship between state competition and nationalism? How have forms of competition – including interaction with conflict, nationalism and violence – formed and changed historically? What current trends can be observed?

In the first part of the seminar we look at the literature in various disciplines (International Relations, Political Economy, History, and Sociology) to determine how state competition is – or could be – conceptualized.

In the second part, we will try to put these perspectives to empirical use. Here, the current war in Ukraine might be a case we could look at in more detail. However, you, the participants of the seminar, are welcome to suggest any case you find particularly interesting.

Bibliography

- Go, J. L. (2008): Global fields and imperial forms: Field theory and the British and American empires, Sociological Theory 26:3, S. 201-229
- Lee, S. (2001): Art. „Competitiveness of Nations“, in: Barry Jones, R. J. (Hg.), Routledge Encyclopedia of International Politcal Economy, Vol 1 (A-F), London: Routledge, 224–227
- Nye, J. S. (2004): Soft Power. The Means to Success in World Politics, New York: PublicAffairs, IX-32
- Strange, S. (1995): The Defective State, Daedalus 124:2, 55-74
- Thompson, W. R. (2001): Identifying Rivals and Rivalries in World Politics, Interna-tional Studies Quarterly 45: 557–586
- Tilly, C. (1992): Coercion, capital, and European states, AD 990-1992. Cambridge, MA, Blackwell