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Politicizing International Cooperation: The Mass Public, Political Entrepreneurs, and Political Opportunity Structures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2021

Catherine E. De Vries ,
Sara B. Hobolt  and
Stefanie Walter
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Abstract

International institutions are increasingly being challenged by domestic opposition and nationalist political forces. Yet, levels of politicization differ significantly across countries facing the same international authority as well as within countries over time. This raises the question of when and why the mass public poses a challenge to international cooperation. In this article, we develop a theoretical framework for understanding the nature and implications of politicization of international cooperation, outlining three scope conditions: the nature of public contestation, the activities of political entrepreneurs, and the permissiveness of political opportunity structures. By empirically examining these scope conditions, we demonstrate that politicization can have both stabilizing and destabilizing effects on international cooperation. Highlighting the systemic implications of politicization for international cooperation has important implications for international relations scholarship. Although international organizations may face challenges, they also have ways of being remarkably resilient.

Keywords

international institutionspublic opinionpoliticizationEuropean integrationpolitical entrepreneursreferendums
Type
Internal Challenges to the Liberal International Order: Political
Information
International Organization , Volume 75 , Special Issue 2: Challenges to the Liberal International Order: International Organization at 75 , Spring 2021 , pp. 306 - 332
Copyright
Copyright © The IO Foundation 2021

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