Structural Power, Power

Towards a New Understanding of Structural-Power: 'Structure is What States Make of It.'

Pustovitovskij, Andrej, Jan-Frederik Kremer. In Power in the 21st Century. Edited by Enrico Fels, Jan-Frederik Kremer, Katharina Kronenberg, 59-78. Berlin: Polity Press, 2012.

The study of power in International Relations (IR) can be seen as the search for the cornerstone of our discipline. Hardly any theory or approach of IR can claim evidence and explanatory power without at least implicitly addressing the question of the ontology of power. In this article we will, by introducing our concept of structural power, offer a new path towards understanding a concept famously introduced in the 1980s by Susan Strange (1987, 1988a, b), but still lacking clarity in operationalization and application. By addressing the questions: “How does structural power work?/How does structural power change the rules of the game?/How is structural power constituted?/Through which kind of transmission channels does structural power affect the power position of states?/What are the underlying power resources of structural power? What is the relationship between structural power and other forms of power?”, our approach to structural power will, by responding this questions offer a new approach towards the study of power in IR and will foster the understanding of a concept which can help to understand international relations in an interdependent age. By doing so, we will present a concept of structural power which differs from the concept of Susan Strange, but which is also able to enclose her ideas about power structures in world politics, by examining the importance of states’ needs and goods for their structural power position in international relations. The aim of this article is to foster a new understanding of structural power, by introducing a concept of structural power independent from the assumed, but empirically not proofed existence of a specific number of dominant power (sub-)structures and certain resources, but based on a model of structure able to enclose changes in power structures in international affairs.

Keywords: Structural Power, Power; Theory; General Framework

Contributor(s): Andrej Pustovitovskij, Jan-Frederik Kremer, Editor: Enrico Fels, Editor: Jan-Frederik Kremer and Editor: Katharina Kronenberg
Keywords: Structural Power, Power, Theory, Strange-Influenced Works, 2010's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 2012

Authority and Markets: Susan Strange's Writings of International Political Economy

Strange, Susan. Edited by Roger Tooze, Christopher May. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.

Collection of 16 works by Susan Strange, with an introduction and commentaries by Roger Tooze and Christopher May.

Keywords: Political Economy; Structural Power, Power; Theory; Other

Contributor(s): Susan Strange, Editor: Roger Tooze and Editor: Christopher May
Keywords: Political Economy, Structural Power, Power, Theory, Other, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Edited Volume

Year of Publication: 2002

Dependency Today-Finance, Firms, Mafias and the State: A Review of Susan Strange's Work from a Developing Country Perspective

Leander, Anna. Third World Quarterly 22, no. 1 (2001): 115-128.

This is an analysis of how the global strategies of Multi-national Enterprises (MNE's) affect the power relationship between MNE's and states in the context of increasing trans-national economic integration.

Keywords: Money and Finance; Trade; Structural Power, Power; Economic Development

Contributor(s): Anna Leander
Keywords: Money and Finance, Trade, Structural Power, Power, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Journal Article

Year of Publication: 2001

Knowledge and Structural-Power in the International Political Economy

Mytelka, Lynn K. In Strange Power: Shaping the Parameters of International Relations and International Political Economy, edited by Thomas Lawton, James Rosenau, Amy C. Verdun, 61-78. London: Routledge, 2000.

Keywords: Knowledge; Structural Power, Power; Europe; Political Economy; International Relations

Contributor(s): Lynn K. Mytelka, Editor: Thomas Lawton, Editor: James Rosenau and Editor: Amy C. Verdun
Keywords: Knowledge, Structural Power, Power, Europe, Political Economy, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 2000

Money Power: Shaping the Global Financial System

Verdun, Amy C. In Strange Power: Shaping the Parameters of International Relations and International Political Economy, edited by Thomas Lawton, James Rosenau, Amy C. Verdun, 99-112. London: Routledge, 2000.

Keywords: Structural Power, Power; Money and Finance; Political Economy; International Relations

Contributor(s): Amy C. Verdun, Editor: Thomas Lawton, Editor: James Rosenau and Editor: Amy C. Verdun
Keywords: Structural Power, Power, Money and Finance, Political Economy, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 2000

Setting the Parameters: A Strange World System

Story, Jonathan. In Strange Power: Shaping the Parameters of International Relations and International Political Economy, edited by Thomas Lawton, James Rosenau, Amy C. Verdun, 41-60. London: Routledge, 2000.

Keywords: Knowledge; Political Economy; Structural Power, Power; International Relations; General Framework

Contributor(s): Jonathan Story, Editor: Thomas Lawton, Editor: James Rosenau and Editor: Amy C. Verdun
Keywords: Knowledge, Political Economy, Structural Power, Power, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 2000

Still an Extraordinary Power, but for How Much Longer? The United States in World Finance

Helleiner, Eric. In Strange Power: Shaping the Parameters of International Relations and International Political Economy, edited by Thomas Lawton, James Rosenau, Amy C. Verdun, 251-270. London: Routledge, 2000.

Keywords: Structural Power, Power; Money and Finance; United States

Contributor(s): Eric Helleiner, Editor: Thomas Lawton, Editor: James Rosenau and Editor: Amy C. Verdun
Keywords: Structural Power, Power, Money and Finance, United States, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 2000

Strange Power: Shaping the Parameters of International Relations and International Political Economy

Lawton, Thomas, James Rosenau, Amy C. Verdun, editors. London: Routledge, 2000.

Focusing on the contribution of Susan Strange to the study of international political economy, this collection forms a unique perspective on the global economy whilst providing tools for the reader to better understand that economic system. The book examines Susan Strange's structural power theories, whilst adding the perspective of the contributor. The combination of approaches and experience provides a multifaceted analysis of international relations and international political economy.

Keywords: Structural Power, Power; Money and Finance; Production; Knowledge; Authority; Markets; Political Economy

Contributor(s): Editor: Thomas Lawton, Editor: James Rosenau and Editor: Amy C. Verdun
Keywords: Structural Power, Power, Money and Finance, Production, Knowledge, Authority, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Edited Volume

Year of Publication: 2000

Strange's Oscillating Realism: Opposing the Ideal - and the Apparent

Guzzini, Stefano. In Strange Power: Shaping the Parameters of International Relations and International Political Economy, edited by Thomas Lawton, James Rosenau, Amy C. Verdun, 237-250. London: Routledge, 2000.

Keywords: Theory; Political Economy; Structural Power, Power; International Relations; Realism

Contributor(s): Stefano Guzzini, Editor: Thomas Lawton, Editor: James Rosenau and Editor: Amy C. Verdun
Keywords: Theory, Political Economy, Structural Power, Power, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 2000

The Doubtful Handshake: From International to Comparative Political Economy?

Walzenback, G.P.E. In Strange Power: Shaping the Parameters of International Relations and International Political Economy, edited by Thomas Lawton, James Rosenau, Amy C. Verdun, 391-412. London: Routledge, 2000.

Keywords: International Institutions; Theory; Structural Power, Power

Contributor(s): G.P.E. Walzenback, Editor: Thomas Lawton, Editor: James Rosenau and Editor: Amy C. Verdun
Keywords: International Institutions, Theory, Structural Power, Power, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 2000

The United States and World Trade: Hegemony by Proxy?

Goldstein, Judith. In Strange Power: Shaping the Parameters of International Relations and International Political Economy, edited by Thomas Lawton, James Rosenau, Amy C. Verdun, 349-272. London: Routledge, 2000.

Keywords: United States; Structural Power, Power; Trade

Contributor(s): Judith Goldstein, Editor: Thomas Lawton, Editor: James Rosenau and Editor: Amy C. Verdun
Keywords: United States, Structural Power, Power, Trade, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 2000

Theorizing the 'No-Man's Land' Between Politics and Economics

Cutler, A. Claire. In Strange Power: Shaping the Parameters of International Relations and International Political Economy, edited by Thomas Lawton, James Rosenau, Amy C. Verdun, 181-196. London: Routledge, 2000.

Keywords: Theory; Production; Structural Power, Power; Knowledge

Contributor(s): A. Claire Cutler, Editor: Thomas Lawton, Editor: James Rosenau and Editor: Amy C. Verdun
Keywords: Theory, Production, Structural Power, Power, Knowledge, Strange-Influenced Works, 2000's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 2000

A Reply to Chris May

Strange, Susan. Global Society 10, no. 3 (1996): 303-305.

In Strange's reply to May's article (Strange Fruit: Susan Strange's theory of Structural-Power in the International Political Economy Global Society 10, 2 (May 1996): 167 -189), she engages with two criticisms made of her theory of structural power. Firstly she suggests that the knowledge structure itself is not necessarily prior as is suggested it might be considered to be if her process of agenda setting power is regarded as central. Furthermore my reworking of the knowledge structure while suggestive was overly dependent on a de-contextualised reading of Schumacher, whom she knew personally and whose views are misrepresented. Secondly, while agreeing with the criticism that she lacks a general theory of change she asserts that such a general theory is not possible, noting that she is however sensitive to particular forms of change. Finally, she concludes by agreeing that Paul Feyerabend's 'methodological anarchism' is helpful in giving epistemological grounds for her eclectic approach.

Keywords: Knowledge; Structural Power, Power; Theory

Contributor(s): Susan Strange
Keywords: Knowledge, Structural Power, Power, Theory, 1990's
Source and Medium: Journal Article

Year of Publication: 1996

The Retreat of the State: State Diffusion of Power in the World Economy

Strange, Susan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

In what might effectively be regarded as the third part of a trilogy, together with States and Markets (1988) and Rival States, Rival Firms: Competition for world market shares (with John M. Stopford and John S. Henley, 1991), Strange examines states' transition towards the sidelines of global political economic relations. Though in the past authority might have been state based, now she argues it is more often based on non-state abilities to bring about (or structure) outcomes. This has to some extent been obscured by the increasing intervention by states in the lives of their citizens, giving an impression of the retention of power. While some states have fared better than others, the US being the prime example of a state retaining significant power, in general Strange sees new sites of authority in the global system are rising to challenge even the strongest states. Relations between states and non-state authority are arrayed along a continuum from the Mafia, threatening and undermining remaining state authority, to the big-six accountancy firms and transnational legal partnerships which work with state based authority and by doing so support it. Lacking the means to autonomously change its interactions with the global political economy, the state has lost the most important and significant aspect of its potential.

Keywords: Foundational Work; States; Structural Power, Power; Theory; Authority vs Markets

Contributor(s): Susan Strange
Keywords: Foundational Work, States, Structural Power, Power, Theory, 1990's
Source and Medium: Book

Year of Publication: 1996

Political Economy and International Relations

Strange, Susan. In International Relations Theory Today, edited by Ken Booth, Steve Smith, 154-174. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1995.

Noting that it is over twenty years since she and others argued for the end of the false division between politics and economics, Strange argues that the development of modern IPE has been in reaction to events within the global system. She suggests that there is still a division between an American IPE based conception of the Politics of International Economic Relations, and a non-American approach that bears some similarity to her own framework as laid out in States and Markets (1988) and elsewhere. She once again makes many of the criticisms she has detailed before regarding the discipline's deference to international economics. Strange suggests the way forward is to conceptualise politics more widely, building on the work of moral philosophers and to apply her conception of structural power, as well as the more usual considerations of relational power.

Keywords: Political Economy; Structural Power, Power; Theory; International Relations

Contributor(s): Susan Strange, Editor: Ken Booth and Editor: Steve Smith
Keywords: Political Economy, Structural Power, Power, Theory, 1990's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 1995

The Defective State

Strange, Susan. Daedelus 124, no. 2 (1995): 55-74.

Strange argues that while states remain superficially important as major actors within the global system, the underlying power relations have hollowed out their authority. This authority has in some cases flowed 'upwards' to international institutions, and in other cases flowed down to markets (and also more localised organisations). These movements have led to an asymmetry of structural authority in the global system. Strange also makes some comments regarding the state-centric nature of the discipline of International Relations and suggests a new research agenda based around her conception of structural power and the importance of non-state actors in the functioning of authority. Thus while competition between states continues in some sense, it has been joined by other fields of competition that the disciplines of International Relations and International Political Economy need to contend with if they are to remain relevant to the global political economy.

Keywords: Corporations; International Institutions; States; Structural Power, Power; Transnational Corporations

Contributor(s): Susan Strange
Keywords: Corporations, International Institutions, States, Structural Power, Power, 1990's
Source and Medium: Journal Article

Year of Publication: 1995

The Limits of Politics

Strange, Susan. Government and Opposition 30, no. 3 (1995): 291-311.

Originally delivered as a lecture at the LSE this article finds Strange explicitly engaging with the notion of globalisation. For Strange globalisation is: the development of products for explicitly global and transnational markets; the decline of barriers and distinctions between national economies; the emergence of at least partial labour mobility in addition to the more recognised capital mobility; and the speeding up of transport and communications. While these trends have changed the balance between authority and markets over outcomes in the international political economy, they have also led to an increasingly globalised but asymmetrical array of structural power.

Keywords: Authority; Globalization; Markets; Theory; Structural Power, Power; Authority vs Markets

Contributor(s): Susan Strange
Keywords: Authority, Globalization, Markets, Theory, Structural Power, Power, 1990's
Source and Medium: Journal Article

Year of Publication: 1995

Finance and Capitalism: The City's Imperial Role Yesterday and Today

Strange, Susan. Review of International Studies 20, no. 4 (1994): 407-410.

In this short review of P.J. Cain and A.G. Hopkins British Imperialism (2 vols) (London: Longman 1993), Strange again emphasises the structural characteristics of US power in the global system and suggest that Britain's structural power was more long lasting than is sometimes presumed, with clear implications for the continuing power of the US in the global economy.

Keywords: Hegemony; Money and Finance; Structural Power, Power; United Kingdom

Contributor(s): Susan Strange
Keywords: Hegemony, Money and Finance, Structural Power, Power, United Kingdom, 1990's
Source and Medium: Journal Article

Year of Publication: 1994

From Bretton Woods to the Casino Economy

Strange, Susan. In Money, Power and Space, edited by Stuart Corbridge, Ron Martin, Nigel Thrift, 49-62. Oxford: Blackwell, 1994.

Strange argues as she has frequently done for the importance of historical understanding power in the international financial structure is to be fully analysed. She suggests that there are two separate but linked aspects of the global political economy that need to be thought about within the financial structure - the international monetary system and the international financial system. Thus, Strange focuses on credit creation to examine the upheavals in the financial structure and the decline of the Bretton Woods system. She also suggests that acquiescence in the uneven distribution of the benefits derived from financial 'freedom' may be becoming less assured in the post Cold War global system. While larger states have (at least for the time being) managed to retain some of their power in the financial structure, smaller states have seen a decline in their ability to resist the pressures from the international money markets. Once again Strange discusses the shift in power from states to markets, and implicitly reinforces her arguments for the centrality of structural power considerations.

Keywords: Authority; Markets; Money and Finance; States; Structural Power, Power; Authority vs Markets

Contributor(s): Susan Strange, Editor: Stuart Corbridge and Editor: Ron Martin
Keywords: Authority, Markets, Money and Finance, States, Structural Power, Power, 1990's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 1994

Global Government and Global Opposition

Strange, Susan. In Politics in an Interdependent World: Essays presented to Ghita Ionescu, edited by Geraint Parry, 20-33. Aldershot: Edward Elgar Publishers, 1994.

After recognising the relevance of discussions of a 'new medievalism' in the global political economy Strange suggests that the best way of addressing the nature and use of power is her structural model. She suggests that the deterriotrialisation of power and the increasing importance of 'diplomacy' between firms as laid out in Rival States, Rival Firms: Competition for world market shares (with John M. Stopford and John S. Henley, 1991), argues for a more complex view of 'interdependence'. She then highlights three central issues: the idea that the operations of multinationals might be understood as a parallel and competing tax and welfare system to that previously operated by states; this relative loss of control over social functions by states has led to reduced stability in the global economy; and lastly societies have increasingly lost their ability to make autonomous decisions concerning methods of and priorities of governance. She then links this analysis to the re-emergence of Euroscepticism, before finally identifying some possible groups that may offer opposition to these tendencies, namely environmentalism, feminism, fundamentalism and regionalism.

Keywords: Corporations; States; Structural Power, Power; Theory; Authority vs Markets

Contributor(s): Susan Strange and Editor: Geraint Parry
Keywords: Corporations, States, Structural Power, Power, Theory, 1990's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 1994

Rethinking Structural Change in the International Political Economy: States, Firms and Diplomacy

Strange, Susan. In Political Economy and the Changing Global Order, edited by Richard Stubbs, Geoffrey R.D. Underhill, 103-115. Basingstoke: Macmillan Press, 1994.

This is an abridged version and slightly revised version of 'States, Firms and Diplomacy' (1992).

Keywords: Knowledge; Markets; States; Structural Power, Power; Theory; Technology

Contributor(s): Susan Strange, Editor: Richard Stubbs and Editor: Geoffrey R.D. Underhill
Keywords: Knowledge, Markets, States, Structural Power, Power, Theory, 1990's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 1994

The Structure of Finance in the World System

Strange, Susan. In Global Transformation: Challenges to the State System, edited by Yoshikazu Sakamoto, 228-249. Tokyo: United Nations University Press, 1994.

Strange again stresses, as she has done before, that the crucial element of the financial structure is the ability to create credit. This is only one side of the financial structure, however - the other side is the institutional regulation of exchange rates between currencies. Much of the work on the international financial has been compromised by its emphasis on the state due to the fore grounding of the exchange rate part of the structure. Strange then suggests and describes five key changes in the structure: its growth in size; new technologies; the penetration of national financial systems by global financial capital; the increasing competition and declining regulation in credit provision; and the relation between supply and demand. Using a global monetarist perspective Strange sees global inflation linked with the oversupply of credit by banks, stemming from the previous four changes. However, American power in the financial structure still remains, measured by their ability to act unilaterally in the field of global finance. Reprinted in: Authority and Markets: Susan Strange’s Writings on International Political Economy, edited by Roger Tooze and Christopher May. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.

Keywords: Hegemony; Money and Finance; Structural Power, Power

Contributor(s): Susan Strange and Editor: Yoshikazu Sakamoto
Keywords: Hegemony, Money and Finance, Structural Power, Power, 1990's
Source and Medium: Book Chapter

Year of Publication: 1994