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International Relations

International Relations. The Prisoners’ Dilemma and IR theories. Understanding the Prisoners’ Dilemma. International politics is unique: absence of higher authority Main actors (states) are functionally similar. What is the Prisoners’ Dilemma?. The pay off structure.

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International Relations

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  1. International Relations The Prisoners’ Dilemma and IR theories

  2. Understanding the Prisoners’ Dilemma • International politics is unique: • absence of higher authority • Main actors (states) are functionally similar Hans Peter Schmitz

  3. What is the Prisoners’ Dilemma? Hans Peter Schmitz

  4. The pay off structure • For player 1: 2 > 4 > 1 > 3 • For player 2: 3 > 4 > 1 > 2 • Most likely outcome is: 1 (both confess to avoid 25 years). • However, this is collectively suboptimal and results in prison terms for each person (3 years). • Why?: lack of communication and self-interest Hans Peter Schmitz

  5. Nowak/May reading • Anarchy and anarchism • Hobbes vs. Darwin • Competition/free-riding vs. cooperation/reciprocity • Kin aid vs. reciprocity • Solutions: enforcement, tit-for-tat. Hans Peter Schmitz

  6. Nowak/May reading • Results (p. 5 of 10): • Cooperation is more likely over the long run. • Collapse of cooperation is always a possibility. • Pavlov: win-stay, loose-shift. • Pavlov survives after more earlier punishment for non-cooperation. • ‘shadow of the future’ • Spatial games: do outsiders spoil cooperation? Hans Peter Schmitz

  7. Theories of IR • Neo-Realism: Prisoners’ Dilemma best describes international politics. Cooperation is unlikely because states are threatened by other states (self-interested survival under anarchy). • Institutionalism: PD can be overcome by building international institutions and communication (self-interested solution to collective action problems). • Constructivism: PD neglects identities and norms. States may share identities (democracy) and naturally cooperate (appropriate behavior expressing one’s identity). Hans Peter Schmitz

  8. Solving the Prisoners’ Dilemma • Neo-Realism: States must attain a position of strength to secure survival. Other states will interpret such efforts as threats and also strengthen their military: prisoners’ dilemma • Institutionalism: States have an incentive to work together to overcome the prisoners’ dilemma. • Constructivism: States are driven by norms and ideas: “Anarchy (PD) is what states make of it” (Alexander Wendt) Hans Peter Schmitz

  9. Who, what, why, and how? Hans Peter Schmitz

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