Description
Contracting States is a brilliant and original book--a long-overdue addition to international relations theory. Extending insights from incomplete contracting theory and conceiving of sovereignty as a bundle of 'tradable' rights, Cooley and Spruyt offer a unified analytical framework that sheds fresh light on seemingly disparate key events, including regional integration, state formation, and territorial fragmentation. -- Walter Mattli, St. John's College, University of Oxford Contrary to the common image of state sovereignty as unitary and absolute, Cooley and Spruyt examine the many situations in which sovereignty rights are shared or transferred: decolonization, foreign military bases, water rights, ethnic federalism, and more. Their use of the concept of incomplete contracting to shed light on a huge range of historical and contemporary bargaining processes is as timely as today's news stories about Russia's gas pipeline price gouging. -- Jack Snyder, Columbia University Contracting States is an extraordinary undertaking that challenges us to see the foundations of successful international cooperation in a new light. This is likely to be a seminal work that defines the terms of the debate about sovereignty and governance for years to come. -- Philip G. Roeder, University of California, San Diego Contracting States adds a great deal to our understanding of mixed forms of sovereignty. It not only poses an interesting puzzle but provides a sophisticated theoretical framework and leaves the reader with useful policy prescriptions for hybrid governance structures. This book makes a significant contribution to the literature. I learned a great deal from Contracting States. -- Katja Weber, Georgia Institute of Technology
About the Author
Alexander Cooley is associate professor of political science at Barnard College, Columbia University. His books include "Base Politics and Logics of Hierarchy". Hendrik Spruyt is the Norman Dwight Harris Professor of International Relations at Northwestern University. His books include "Ending Empire" and "The Sovereign State and Its Competitors" (Princeton).
Reviews
"Contracting States sheds new light on the changing nature of state sovereignty, examining how sovereignty is frequently divided and explaining that how this is done has important later consequences for the actors involved... Contracting States is an important book that warrants the attention of international relations scholars."--Richard W. Mansbach, Perspectives on Politics
Book Information
ISBN 9780691137247
Author Alexander Cooley
Format Paperback
Page Count 280
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press
Weight(grams) 340g