Moravscik: Taking preferences seriously
pp 516-528
Before you read
I. Think over the following questions
- What do you know about the author of the text? What is his contribution to the theory of international relations? Have you read anything by this author before?
- Skim the text very quickly and say who it is intended for.
- What is the register of the text?
II. Do some Internet research and look up the information on the following:
- risk-averse/ risk-acceptant individuals
- reductionist theory
- revisionist and status-qou states
- intensity preference
- Pareto efficiency
- The Macedonian Syndrome
While you read
Read the text carefully, pencil in hand and
- find the following words in the text; try to guess their meanings using the context
embed (verb)
constraint (noun)
endowment (noun)
exacerbate (verb)
alter (verb)
consistent (adj)
be subject to
enfranchise (verb)
propensity (noun)
converge (verb)
- find Russian equivalents of the words above
- match the words from the list with their less formal synonyms
embed | escalate |
constraint | harmonious |
endowment | implant |
exacerbate | prone |
alter | empower |
consistent | restriction |
be subject to | inclination |
enfranchise | provision |
propensity | focus |
converge | modify |
Read the text again and elucidate on the following notions:
premise
prerequisite
qualitative category
extensive empirical data
inconsistencies
plausible example
restate
define
designate
perceive
After you read
I. Answer the following questions:
- What insight does Liberal IR theory rely on? What three core assumptions is it based on? What variants of Liberal theory derive from these assumptions?
- Elaborate on the concept of «Social identity» within the frameworks of Liberal theory.
II. Summarise the ideas of the chapter. Assess the text critically according to the following criteria:
- novelty (have you learned anything new?)
- relevance (is this information relevant? Will it be of any use in your own research paper?)
- complexity (was it hard to grasp the main ideas of the text?)