How regional norms shape regional organizations
The Pan-African rhetorical trap and the empowerment of the Ecowas Parliament
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6026426 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Densua Mumford (0000-0002-7443-5694, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 120 |
| Issue | 478 |
| Pages | 1-25 |
| Publication date | 2021-01-25 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Affairs (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0001-9909 • E-ISSN: 1468-2621 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/afraf/adaa033 |
| OpenAlex | W3124957544 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
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
Democracy · Empowerment · Normative · Parliament · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Rhetorical question · Scholarship · Sociology · Sovereignty · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · International Development and Aid · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Public Administration
Ecowas beyond Abuja
African regionalism, economic nationalism and the contested politics of social purpose
Forging an African Union Identity
Norm contestation and the weakening of migrant fisher protection in Thailand
Why West African states do not go to war with each other
The Legon School of International Relations
Exploring Africa's Agency in International Politics
| Citations per year | 1.4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |