When Norms Fail to Diffuse Interaction between Norm Entrepreneurs and Norm Protectors

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Other Title
  • 新たな規範の伝播失敗
  • 新たな規範の伝播失敗 : 規範起業家と規範守護者の相互作用から
  • アラタ ナ キハン ノ デンパ シッパイ : キハン キギョウカ ト キハン シュゴシャ ノ ソウゴ サヨウ カラ
  • ―規範起業家と規範守護者の相互作用から―

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Abstract

Attention to norms in international relations has been intensifying in recent decades. Researchers have been looking into how new norms spread internationally. The “norm life-cycle” model is the analytical framework used most often to grasp the diffusion of a newly created norm. When norm entrepreneurs present a new norm, they often re-frame the issue and re-define the problem. Sometimes, they engage in so-called “norm grafting” to show the relevance of the new norm to already established norms and try to enhance the legitimacy of the new norm. Thus, a certain degree of research has been conducted on norm entrepreneurs’ strategies, including framing, norm grafting, and shaming, among others.<br> While not all the newly presented norms spread internationally, the study on norms in international relations has focused excessively on the successful spread of new norms. The “gatekeeper” theory is one of the few explanations offered for why a newly presented norm does not spread. Clifford Bob insists that a new norm cannot easily spread unless “gatekeepers” in the issue area adopt the norm as part of their agendas. R. Charli Carpenter’s work on non-emergence is another example of such research. She sheds light on the intra-network politics in NGO networks to explain why some of the newly presented norms are not adopted by the NGO networks.<br> However, even when a newly presented norm survives intra-network politics and is adopted by a gatekeeper, it does not necessarily spread internationally. What are the differences between a norm that diffuses internationally and a norm that does not? In this paper, I will analyze a new norm regarding medicine patents as an example of an unsuccessful norm diffusion case. Even though gatekeepers adopted the issue onto their agendas and led the international campaign, the newly presented norm on patent on medicine did not successfully diffuse.<br> What determined whether a new norm succeeded or failed to diffuse? I will try to address this puzzle by focusing on the norm protectors’ campaigns to challenge the newly presented norms. Through examining the interaction between norm entrepreneurs and norm protectors in the above mentioned case, I will conclude that the close contest between the norm entrepreneurs’ and norm protectors’ campaigns determines whether the newly presented norm will diffuse or not.

Journal

  • International Relations

    International Relations 2014 (176), 176_1-176_13, 2014

    JAPAN ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

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