Paradiplomacy, Knowledge Regions and the Consolidation of Soft Power (original) (raw)

The Emerging Regional Architecture of World Politics

World Politics, 2007

This article examines the importance of regions in shaping world order. Reviewing two recent books that claim that the contemporary world order is an increasingly regionalized one, the author argues that regions matter to the extent they can be relatively autonomous entities. While both books accept that regions are social constructs, their answer to the question of who makes regions reflects a bias in favor of powerful actors. A regional understanding of world politics should pay more attention to and demonstrate how regions resist and socialize power—at both global and regional levels—rather than simply focusing on how powers construct regions. Power matters, but local responses to power, including strategies of exclusion, resistance, socialization, and binding, matter more in understanding how regions are socially constructed. The article elaborates on various types of responses to power from both state and societal actors in order to offer an inside-out, rather than outside-in, ...

The European Union as a laboratory of paradiplomacy in the context of international and domestic determinants of regions’ foreign activities

Przegląd Europejski 3/2019, 2019

The aim of this article is to propose an analytical framework of the EU as a laboratory of paradiplomacy in context of international and domestic determinants of the regions’ foreign activities. The article shades some light on the definitions of paradyplomacy, which allow to understand the ambiguity of the status of regions in international relations. Firstly, the dimensions and types of paradiplomacy are identified. Secondly, the discourse concerning international and domestic determinants of international engagement of regional governments is identified. Then, the framework of the EU as a laboratory of paradiplomacy is explained in the three subsequent parts. Firstly, the EU is referred to as an intermestic determinant of paradiplomacy, what results from the specific nature of the EU that corresponds with the international and domestic determinants of paradiplomacy in general. Secondly, the EU is addressed as an arena of paradiplomacy where various patterns of regional governments’ presence in Brussels are tested. Finally, paradiplomacy in the EU is addressed as a scholarly challenge for the further research.

Dynamics of international activity of sub-state regions

2021

The paradiplomatic activity of sub-state regions has become an important element of international relations. The sub-state regions are able to implement specific international programs and deal with supra-regional challenges. The ability of regions to interact internationally depends primarily on the political and legal system of a given country, but also on the economic and socio-cultural potential as well as the geographical location. The paradiplomatic actions are also influenced by processes taking place in international relations, in particular globalisation and technological development. The author examines the dynamics of international activity of sub-state regions with a particular focus on the factors and premises that encourage regional authorities to undertake paradiplomatic actions. The main research objective of the article is a diagnosis of the motivation of regional activity in the international arena. A brief analysis of the development of international activity of s...

Goals, Capabilities, and Instruments of Paradiplomacy by Subnational Jurisdictions

This paper defines paradiplomacy as ‘a political entity’s extra-jurisdictional activating targeting foreign political entities’. Because paradiplomacy is specifically an example of political interaction between unequal partners, taking place outside of the internationally accepted political sphere, it is by nature a contested practice. This paper argues that subnational jurisdictions and sovereign states have inherently differing policy objectives and that paradiplomacy is best capable of achieving policy objectives when it manages to either slip beneath the political radar of sovereign states or acquire the de facto concession of sovereign states. For this reason, the more sophisticated paradiplomatic tools (such as pseudo-embassies) are not necessarily more effective in achieving policy objectives than are less sophisticated tools (such as participation in international networks). Successful paradiplomatic practice requires a balance of developing political structures and of pursuing concrete policy objectives. The aims of subnational jurisdictions seeking greater autonomy or independence could be furthered through the construction of stronger networks of like-minded subnational jurisdictions in Europe and internationally.

Regionalism in World Politics: Past and Present

Elements of Regional Integration, eds. A Kosler and M Zimmek, 2008

This chapter offers a introductory survey of regionalism in world politics from the Second World War to the present. 1 It has two related aims: to track and explain the development and growth of formal regional institutions. Its terms of reference are broad ranging and comparative with particular attention paid to the evolving relationship between regionalism and multilateralism.

Foreign Policy, Elites and Regional Identity

Published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 2009

Regional co-operation for human development and human security, UNDP Regional Office, Bratislava, 2005, p.26. It is obvious that regional integration nowadays consists of much more than trade and security arrangements, even though they usually represent the initial regional structures. It covers many areas of economic and social life, political structures, internal security, environmental protection, culture, etc. It is a complex and multi-faceted process of building links across the region, including not only relations between states and national administrations, but also many other societal actors such as business, politics, civil society, etc. Local communities are taking an increasing role in this process by developing different forms of cross-border co-operation.