University of Tasmania, Australia

Speaker: Professor Andrew Walter
School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne

When do major states conform to or diverge from global behavioural norms? We argue that existing theories find it difficult to explain important aspects of this variation in behaviour and we offer instead a framework consisting of three explanatory variables: degree of 'fit' between global norms and dominant domestic-level norms; actor perceptions of procedural and substantive legitimacy; and actor perceptions of consequences for the global power hierarchy. We argue that the relative importance of these variables is contingent on the level of domestic salience of the issue area. When salience is high, the degree of normative fit is the primary driver of behavioural consistency; when salience is low, degree of fit becomes less important and the other two variables play a more powerful role in driving behavioural outcomes. We demonstrate how this framework helps to account for the behaviour of the two most important states in the global system, China and the United States, in five areas of central importance to the contemporary global order: the limited use of force, macroeconomic policy surveillance, the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, climate protection and financial regulation. Our argument also explains why globalization may reduce rather than increase levels of behavioural consistency with global norms.

Andrew Walter was appointed Professor of International Relations in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne in September 2012, having previously held appointments  at the London School of Economics and Political Science and St Antony's College, Oxford. Between 2009-12 Andrew served as a member of the Council of Chatham House, a leading British think-tank of international affairs.

Andrew specializes in International Political Economy, specifically in the international political economy of money and finance, financial regulation and international standard setting. East Asia in the global political economy is a regional specialization. His recent books include East Asian Capitalism: Diversity, Change, and Continuity (Oxford University Press, July 2012), China, the United States, and Global Order (Cambridge University Press, 2011), with Rosemary Foot, Analyzing the Global Political Economy (Princeton University Press 2009), with Gautam Sen and Governing Finance: East Asia's Adoption of International Standards (Cornell University Press, 2008)

Venue: Room 586, Social Sciences Building, Sandy Bay campus

All welcome - No RSVP required

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Professor Walter's visit to the University of Tasmania has been funded by the
UTAS Governance and Implementation Research Group