Why international norms disappear sometimes

Abstract

This article addresses the empirical puzzle as to why some formerly deeply embedded international norms either incrementally or rapidly lose their prescriptive status and, in the extreme, can even cease to exist. Why is it that some norms are replaced while others simply disappear? The IR literature has rich explanations for norm creation, diffusion and socialization, yet there is a theoretical and empirical gap on both the dynamics and scope conditions for the degeneration of international norms. Thus, we develop hypotheses on processes and outcomes of norm disappearances that are tested with a series of qualitative studies. Norm degenerations require the presence of actors who challenge the norm and the absence of central enforcement authorities or individual states that are willing and capable of punishing norm violations. Moreover, our study shows that norms are likely to be abolished swiftly if the environment is unstable and rapidly changing and if norms are highly precise. In contrast, norms are likely to become incrementally degenerated if the environment is relatively stable and if norms are imprecise. Both processes lead to norm substitutions, provided that competing norms are present. If rival norms are absent, norms simply disappear without being replaced.

Changing ideas, changing norms: The case of ‘the responsibility to rebuild’

“…To remedy this gap in our understanding of norm evolution, a promising line of research taking a micro-level view of norms has emerged in the recent years (Wiener 2004, Wunderlich 2013Van Kersbergen and Verbeek 2007;Krook and True 2012;Panke and Petersohn 2012, McKeown 2009, Coleman 2013, Hirsch 2014. This body of literature has enquired into a broad set of dynamics relating to norm evolution, ranging from studies on norm 'degeneration' and norm reversals (Panke and Petersohn 2012, McKeown 2009) to the understanding how changes to the ideational content of norms enables norm diffusion (Hirsch 2014 what we tend to see is 'a battle over the norm itself'.…”

“…This body of literature has enquired into a broad set of dynamics relating to norm evolution, ranging from studies on norm 'degeneration' and norm reversals (Panke and Petersohn 2012, McKeown 2009) to the understanding how changes to the ideational content of norms enables norm diffusion (Hirsch 2014 what we tend to see is 'a battle over the norm itself'. In certain cases norms may even wither away.…”

Cyber Futures and the Justice Motive: Avoiding Pyrrhic Victory

“…Unfortunately, the norms literature provides limited guidance on how actors respond when they believe norms have been violated. One group of studies focused on how norms are diffused (Finnemore and Sikkink 1998;Keck and Sikkink 1998;Acharya 2004) and changed (Sandholtz 2008), as well as how they decay and disappear (Bailey 2008;Panke and Petersohn 2012). Analytical emphasis has been on the norms themselves as the objects of analysis.…”

“Utopian in the Right Sense”: The Responsibility to Protect and the Logical Necessity of Reform

“…51 Therefore, while the goals behind the emergence of a norm may be laudable, the establishment of that norm does not necessarily mean it will have the intended positive influences on state behavior; in fact, the emergence of a norm may well have a negative impact if it is sufficiently vague so as to be vulnerable to strategic, and indeed mendacious, manipulation. 52 RtoP certainly constitutes a vague norm; in practice, while states are evidently keen to affirm their commitment to it, there are significant differences among states as to what it actually is. As Jennifer Welsh accepts, "It cannot be assumed that the meaning of a norm such as RtoP is stable, or that it signifies the same thing to all actors postinstitutionalization."…”

“…65 The extent to which states violate a norm or law is, of course, dependent on the nature of the punitive redress they face for so doing; preventing and/or halting mass atrocity crimes, therefore, necessitates engaging with the logic behind both the decision to commit such acts and the decision-making calculus faced by those called upon to react to such acts committed outside their territory.…”