Owning worldwide principles
The case of American exceptionalism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3071022 |
|---|---|
| Authors | P Alasuutari (0000-0003-4111-9641, University of Tampere, corresponding author), Valtteri Vähä-Savo (0000-0002-5641-0952, University of Tampere) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 533-552 |
| Publication date | 2018-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Science Information (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0539-0184 • E-ISSN: 1461-7412 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0539018418816192 |
| OpenAlex | W2903236038 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 48 |
This article addresses the observation that, among 13 national legislatures compared, the proportion of floor debates containing a reference to the international community is lowest in the USA. Does the spirit of American exceptionalism make politicians particularly wary of being accused of cultural treason, so that they avoid references to exogenous models and international treaties or recommendations? Our analysis shows that, rather than alluding to the authority of the international community and to the principles it upholds, speakers refer to the self-image of the nation as a yardstick by which to assess whether a proposal aligns with esteemed values such as equality, freedom and democracy. In that way, rather than appealing to globally shared principles, the speakers claim ownership of them, constructing the USA as the self-evident origin of worldwide models. A comparison of the usage of the national self-image between the 13 countries studied here shows that it is most frequently used in the US Congress. Therefore, owning universal principles makes understandable the low frequency of international references in the US Congress
American exceptionalism · Democracy · Exceptionalism · International community · Law and economics · Legislature · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Yardstick · European Union Policy and Governance · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Policy Transfer and Learning
Representing Reality
Constructing World Culture
Conditional Cash Transfers
Doing Discourse Analysis
Evidence-based Policy
From Smoke and Mirrors to Walking the Talk
Experiments in knowing
Introduction
World Society
Powers of Freedom
Analysing Discourse
World Culture
Epistemic governance
The synchronization of national policies
Modernization as a tacit concept used in governance
The Myth of American Isolationism
The Great Illusion
Think Tanks, Global Lesson-Drawing and Networking Social Policy Ideas
Following the Example of Other Countries? Policy Analysis of New Legislation in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States
The state, international competitiveness and neoliberal globalisation
The Political Construction of Mass Schooling
In the House of Representatives
Reforms as experiments
Taming terror
Anthropologies of Modernity
The Structuring of a World Environmental Regime, 1870–1990
Learning from Abroad
Governmentality
American Exceptionalism in an Age of International History
Political power beyond the State
The Changing Logic of Political Citizenship
The Nation-State and the Natural Environment over the Twentieth Century
Sovereignty Relinquished? Explaining Commitment to the International Human Rights Covenants, 1966-1999
How Exceptional is the American Political Economy
The new isolationism
Back to the Womb? Isolationism's Renewed Threat
Owning worldwide principles
The Problem of American Exceptionalism
World Expansion of Mass Education, 1870-1980
International Human Rights Law and the Politics of Legitimation
Globalization
Russia in world society
The Global Diffusion of Public Policies
Human Rights in a Globalizing World
World Society and the Nation-State
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,63 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2024 (7) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |