National Purpose in the World Economy: Post-Soviet States in Comparative Perspective (Cornell Studies in Political Economy)

Product description Review Abdelal provides... a subtle and lucid discussion of contending theories (realism, liberalism, and institutionalism on the one side, national identity on the other).... He ends by skillfully comparing his three core examples with other end-of-empire episodes in nineteenth-century Europe and postwar Asia and Africa. ― Foreign AffairsAbdelal's nationalist perspective gives an exciting and important new twist to constructivist theory that deserves to be further explored and expanded. I highly recommend it to international relations scholars, comparativists, and policymakers alike. ― Perspectives on PoliticsAn excellent example of bringing constructivist theory more fully into political economy. ― New Political EconomyIn addition to producing the most compelling available account of the origins of the post-Soviet states' foreign economic policies, Abdelal rescues the study of national identity from realism, develops a coherent and falsifiable constructivist theory of international political economy, and advances our understanding of the dynamics of postimperial spaces.... National Purpose in the World Economy is one of the most original and important contributions to the study of international political economy in the last decade. It is theoretically compelling, conceptually elegant, and empirically sound. It should be widely read and debated by anyone interested in international political economy, post-Soviet political economy, imperial governance and dissolution, as well as international relations theory. ― Political Science QuarterlyThe work is based on a wide range of English-language literature and on interviews for case study chapters on Belarus, Lithuania, and Ukraine.... The theoretical framework and analytical tools in this volume will interest political scientists more than economists. No other recent books have a similar scope and methodology. ― Choice About the Author Rawi Abdelal is Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.