POWER, INTERESTS, IDEAS AND INSTITUTIONS IN POLITICS
IR355/Fall 2007
Dr Caner Bakir
Lecture: Tuesdays and Thursdays: 15.30-16.45
Office: CAS154
Office hours: Wednesdays: 11-12 noon.
Phone: 338 1674
e-mail: cbakir@ku.edu.tr
Course Description
Objectives
We find power, institutions, ideas and interests whenever individuals, firms, interest groups
and governments deal with each other. Individuals and organisations live within a set of
institutions, power relationships, ideas and interests. Thus many of the fundamental questions
about political, economic and social life entail an examination of the role of power,
institutions, ideas and interests as well as their role, inter-relationships and functions. The
purpose of this course is to introduce students to the major issues in these areas which serve as
foundations to our individual life as well as a nation in order to foster an understanding of
politics, economy and society. This course provides students unique hands on experience to
apply theoretical knowledge into analysis of an issue/case of their own choice with a close
supervision of the instructor.
Requirements
Students are expected to read relevant reading material before each respective class.
Class Participation. Student participation is of utmost importance to success of this course.
Reading material has been assigned for each week and must be completed before class.
Students should also bring relevant issues taken from current newspapers. This will serve as a
basis for discussion. Thus, students will be graded by class participation (20%).
Term Paper. Each student will be responsible for writing a paper of 1,500-2,500 words
(excluding footnotes). In the first 10 weeks of the lectures, you are expected to choose an
issue/case/topic of your own choice to investigate. This is finalized in consultation with
myself. Students are expected to deliver a short presentation of their research outline. This
will help you to get further feedback from the members of the class.
You are required to meet with Dr Bakir on an individual basis to discuss topics for the termpaper. Topic proposals for the research paper must be approved and submitted on or
before November 20. You are strongly encouraged to meet with him earlier to discuss
possible topics. Papers are due on December 1. Thus students will be graded by research
paper (20%).
Mid-term and Final: The midterm exam the final exam will have 20% and 40% weighting,
respectively. Midterm exam will be on November 8.
Plagiarism and Collusion
Plagiarism is the presentation of work which has been copied in whole or in part from another
person’s work, or from any other source such as the internet, published books or periodicals
without due acknowledgement given in the text.
Collusion is the presentation of work, which is the result in whole or in part of unauthorized
collaboration with another person or persons.
Both Plagiarism and Collusion are methods of cheating. Students must observe academic
honesty and integrity in order not to face disciplinary actions.
Suggested Reading Material
William D Coleman. 2001. Financial Services, Globalization, and Domestic Policy Change:
A Comparison of North America and the European Union. London: Palgrave.
Week 1: Introduction: An Introduction: Power, Ideas, Institutions and Interests
Week 2-3 Power in Political Economy
Coleman chp.1 & 2
James P. Caporaso and David P. Levine, Theories of Political Economy, chp.7
Week 4 Private and State Interests
James P. Caporaso and David P. Levine, Theories of Political Economy, chp.3
Martha Finnemore, 1996. National Interest in International Society Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, chp.1.
Jeffrey A.. Frieden. 1991. “Invested Interests: The Politics of National Economic Policies in a
World of Global Finance.” International Organization no. 45 (Autumn): 425-51.
Jeffrey Winters, 1994. “Review: Power and Control of Capital”, World Politics 46(3), pp.419452.
Caner Bakir. 2007. Merkezdeki Banka. Istanbul: Bilgi Universitesi, pp.14-20; 128-132.
Week 5 Interest Organisations
Coleman, chp. 3
Week 6-7 State and Bureaucratic Power
Coleman, chp.4
James P. Caporaso and David P. Levine, Theories of Political Economy, chp.8.
Week 8 Policy Networks
Richardson, Jeremy (2000), “Government, Interest Groups and Policy Change”, Political
Studies, 48, 5, pp.1006-1025.
Week 9 Transformative capacity and adapting to globalization
Peter Evans. 1995. Embedded Autonomy: States and Industrial Transformation. Princeton:
Princeton University Press. Ch. 1, 2, (especially pp. 21-42).
Linda Weiss. 1997. “Globalization and the Myth of the Powerless State.” New Left Review
225: 3-27.
Week 10 Power in International Politics
Michael Barnett and Raymond Duvall. 2005. “Power in International Politics”, International
Organization, 59, pp. 39-75.
Stephen Gill & David Law. 1988. “Global hegemony and structural power of capital”
International Studies Quarterly, 33, 475-99.
Stephen Krasner. 1976. “State power and structure of international trade”, World Politics 28,
317-46.
Susan Strange. 1994. “Who governs? Networks of Power in World Society”, Hitotsubashi
Journal of Law and Politics, Special Issue, pp.5-17
Week 11-12 Ideas
Ngarin Woods. 1995. “Economic Ideas and International Relations: Beyond Rational
Neglect”, International Studies Quarterly 39, pp.161-180.
John Kingdon, Agendas Alternatives and Public Policies Longman, 1995. chp.1
Peter Haas. 1992. “Introduction, epistemic communities and international policy
coordination” IO 46, 1, 1-35.
Caner Bakir. 2007. Merkezdeki Banka. Istanbul: Bilgi Universitesi. pp.69-88
Week 13-14 Institutions
Stephen Bell, “Institutionalism” in John Summers, Dennis Woodward, and Andrew Parkin.
2002. 7th eds. Government, Politics, Power and Policy in Australia, pp.371-380. Frenchs
Forrest: Pearson.
Anil Hira. Ron Hira. 2001. “The New Institutionalism: Contradictory Notions of Change.”
American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Vol. 59, No. 2, 267-282.
Adam Przeworski. 2004. “Institutions Matter?”, Government and Opposition pp.527-540.
Week 15 Overview