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Foreign policy analysis, globalisation and non-state actors: State-centric after all?

DOI:10.1057/jird.2013.12
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Rainer Baumann at optical design
Rainer Baumann
  • optical design
Frank A. Stengel at Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
Frank A. Stengel
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This paper is concerned with Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) and non-state actors. Globalisation has brought non-state actors back on the agenda of International Relations. As a result of globalisation, we witness at least some shift of authority from the state to non-state actors (the extent of which remains debated). Although most of the empirical studies focus on ‘domestic’ issues, there are good reasons to assume that foreign policy is equally affected by this trend. Not only are non-state actors autonomous actors in world politics, they are also increasingly involved in the making of states’ foreign policies. Following a discussion of the role of non-state actors in foreign policy, we ask to what extent FPA, IR’s actor-centric sub-field, has taken into account this growing importance of non-state actors. Given FPA’s criticism of seeing the state as a unitary actor, one would expect FPA scholars to be among the first within IR to analyse decision making involving non-state actors. A closer look however reveals that FPA remains focused mainly on state actors, while ignoring private, transnational and international ones. Thus, FPA remains in some way state-centric. We close with an outline of possible directions for further FPA research. Contents: - Multiple Actors in World Politics: An Attempt at Systematisation - NSAs, ‘Rival Actorness’ and Hybrid Foreign Policymaking - Non-state Actors and the FPA ‘Toolkit’ - The Methods of FPA — Suited for NSAs? - NSAs and FPA Research: Centre Stage or on the Fringes? - FPA 2.0: Studying Complex Foreign Policymaking in a Globalised World
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