Abstract

Prevailing constructivist scholarship argues that the evolution of regional organizations is due to the influence of global norms such as liberal democracy. Alternative rational choice theories suggest there might be efficiency gains that explain the evolution of international organizations. However, these explanations struggle to account for some paradoxical institutional outcomes, for example, the empowerment of inefficient regional parliaments by non-democratic states—an outcome that also threatens state sovereignty. To address such paradoxes, this paper highlights the importance of regionally bound norms in shaping the development of regional organizations. It argues that regional norms can create normative traps that make states converge on a particular institutional outcome. Using the empirical case of the empowerment of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, which was granted budgetary oversight and mandatory referral powers in 2016, this paper conceives of African international actors as locked in a Pan-African rhetorical trap. The Pan-African rhetorical trap describes a normative environment in which certain outcomes become irresistible for a variety of actors because they accord unambiguously with the norms of the African community. The findings have important implications for the study of international organizations more broadly, scholarship on African international relations, and scholarship on global governance.

中文翻译：

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区域规范如何塑造区域组织：泛非的修辞陷阱和西非经共体议会的权力

摘要

普遍的建构主义学者认为，区域组织的发展是由于自由民主等全球规范的影响。替代性的理性选择理论表明，效率的提高可能解释了国际组织的发展。但是，这些解释难以解释某些矛盾的制度结果，例如非民主国家赋予低效的区域议会权力的结果也威胁着国家主权。为了解决这种矛盾，本文强调了区域约束规范在塑造区域组织发展中的重要性。它认为，区域规范可以创建规范陷阱，使国家在特定的制度结果上趋于一致。运用赋予西非国家经济共同体议会权力的经验案例，该案例在2016年获得预算监督和强制性的推荐权，本文认为非洲国际行为者被困在泛非的言辞陷阱中。泛非的修辞陷阱描述了一种规范的环境，在这种环境中，某些行为因与非洲共同体的规范毫无冲突，因此对于各种行为体来说都是不可抗拒的。这些发现对于更广泛地研究国际组织，有关非洲国际关系的奖学金和有关全球治理的奖学金具有重要的意义。本文认为非洲国际参与者被困在泛非的修辞陷阱中。泛非的修辞陷阱描述了一种规范的环境，在这种环境中，某些行为因与非洲共同体的规范明确一致而对各种行为体变得不可抗拒。这些发现对于更广泛地研究国际组织，有关非洲国际关系的奖学金和有关全球治理的奖学金具有重要的意义。本文认为非洲国际参与者被困在泛非的修辞陷阱中。泛非的修辞陷阱描述了一种规范的环境，在这种环境中，某些行为因与非洲共同体的规范毫无冲突，因此对于各种行为体来说都是不可抗拒的。这些发现对于更广泛地研究国际组织，有关非洲国际关系的奖学金和有关全球治理的奖学金具有重要的意义。