Young’s Articles Published by the ‘Cambridge Review of International Affairs’

Posted April 20, 2018

Alasdair Young, professor in the Nunn School, has written the introduction and an article published by the Cambridge Review of International Affairs (30/5-6). The special issue comes from a Center of European and Transatlantic Studies workshop in Spring 2016 on Politics and Deep Integration.

 

Abstract for “The Politics of Deep Integration”

Efforts to pursue ‘deep integration’ — agreeing international rules governing domestic policies to mitigate their adverse trade effects — have been pivotal to the politicization of trade policy. The contributions to this special issue focus on different political dynamics associated with recent high-profile efforts at deep integration. Collectively they analyze the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Transpacific Partnership (TPP), and the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (JEEPA) negotiations. The special issue, therefore, focuses on extreme examples of deep integration in order to illuminate new political dynamics. This introductory article introduces the concept of ‘deep integration’ and explores how it has been pursued in historical and contemporary trade negotiations. It also relates recent attempts at deep integration to the rise of populist anti-globalization movements. In light of these discussions, this article introduces the contributions to the issue. It concludes by considering whether the politics associated with TTIP and CETA in Europe represent the future of trade policy.

Abstract for “Intergovernmental Policy Makes Transnational Politics? The Unusually Transnational Politics of TTIP”

When the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations were underway, its politics were distinctively transnational. Numerous alliances between European and American industry associations advocated an ambitious agreement to mitigate the effects of conflicting rules. Some civic interest groups also closely cooperated to shape the agreement, while a broad, loose transatlantic coalition of civic interest groups opposed it. The extent of transnationalism in TTIP was greater than what had come before in the transatlantic relationship and what is evident in contemporaneous analogous trade negotiations. This article argues that while the salience of a trade negotiation affects whether societal actors mobilize, it is not sufficient to prompt transnational cooperation. Rather transnational cooperation stems primarily from what the actors are seeking to achieve and whether they have a motive and opportunity to work together. By clarifying the conditions under which transnational cooperation is more likely, this article informs the emerging literature on the new politics of trade.

Alasdair Young is the co-director of the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies, a Jean Monnet Center of Excellence, at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His current research focuses on new politics of trade policy and compliance with international law. 

Find the introduction and article on the Cambridge Review of International Affairs website.  

Find more information on Alasdair Young on his personal website.