IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jcmkts/v58y2020i3p706-722.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

On the Social Status of the European Union

Author

Listed:
  • Pål Røren

Abstract

In this article I analyse the EU's social status in world politics. I argue that recognition grants the EU both club and positional status. Drawing on existing literature on status in international relations, I conceptualize the diplomatic corps of various polities as the embodied recognition of their positional status in world politics. To indicate and measure the positional status of the EU, I applied social network analysis to data on the exchange of embassies from 1960 to 2010. This methodology allows for consistent longitudinal comparisons of standing between heterogeneous polities in world politics. The results indicate that the EU's rise in the status hierarchy has been meteoric since 1960. However, fear of status congestion and status dilution among countries has thwarted the EU's full inclusion into the various status clubs of nation‐states. I show that due to its lack of full club status the EU struggles to convert its high positional status into influence.

Suggested Citation

  • Pål Røren, 2020. "On the Social Status of the European Union," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(3), pages 706-722, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:58:y:2020:i:3:p:706-722
    DOI: 10.1111/jcms.12962
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12962
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jcms.12962?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrew Cooper, 2013. "Squeezed or revitalised? Middle powers, the G20 and the evolution of global governance," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(6), pages 963-984.
    2. Gilady, Lilach, 2018. "The Price of Prestige," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9780226433202, December.
    3. Mattern, Janice Bially & Zarakol, Ayşe, 2016. "Hierarchies in World Politics," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 70(3), pages 623-654, July.
    4. Henrik Larsen, 2014. "The EU as a Normative Power and the Research on External Perceptions: The Missing Link," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 896-910, July.
    5. Ian Manners, 2002. "Normative Power Europe: A Contradiction in Terms?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 235-258, June.
    6. VÉRONIQUE DIMIER & MIKE McGEEVER, 2006. "Diplomats Without a Flag: The Institutionalization of the Delegations of the Commission in African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(3), pages 483-505, September.
    7. Véronique Dimier & Mike McGeever, 2006. "Diplomats without a flag: the institutionalization of the delegations of the commission in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/195806, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    8. Richard Youngs, 2004. "Normative Dynamics and Strategic Interests in the EU's External Identity," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 415-435, June.
    9. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:44:y:2006:i::p:483-505 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Hafner-Burton, Emilie M. & Kahler, Miles & Montgomery, Alexander H., 2009. "Network Analysis for International Relations," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 63(3), pages 559-592, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Moosung Lee, 2012. "A step as normative power: the EU’s human rights policy towards North Korea," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 41-56, May.
    2. Daniela Sicurelli, 2020. "External conditions for EU normative power through trade. The case of CEPA negotiations with Indonesia," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 57-73, March.
    3. Laura Allison-Reumann, 2017. "ASEAN and human rights: challenges to the EU’s diffusion of human rights norms," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 39-54, March.
    4. Erickson, Jennifer L., 2008. "Normative power and EU arms transfer policy: A theoretical critique and empirical test [Normative Macht und die EU-Waffenlieferungspolitik: Eine theoretische Kritik und ein empirischer Test]," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Global Governance SP IV 2008-301, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    5. Ileana Daniela Serban, 2021. "The European Union: From a Complex Adaptive System to a Policy Interpreter," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(2), pages 388-403, March.
    6. Henrik Larsen, 2020. "Normative Power Europe or Capability–expectations Gap? The Performativity of Concepts in the Study of European Foreign Policy," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(4), pages 962-977, July.
    7. Neve Gordon & Sharon Pardo, 2015. "Normative Power Europe meets the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 265-274, September.
    8. Ueli Staeger, 2016. "Africa–EU Relations and Normative Power Europe: A Decolonial Pan‐African Critique," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 981-998, July.
    9. Kenneth Ka-Lok Chan, 2020. "Power through trade: opportunities and constraints of the European Union’s norm entrepreneurship—the case of Hong Kong," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 413-427, December.
    10. Maria Garcia & Annick Masselot, 2015. "EU-Asia Free Trade Agreements as tools for social norm/legislation transfer," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 241-252, September.
    11. Stephan Keukeleire & Sharon Lecocq & Frédéric Volpi, 2021. "Decentring Norms in EU Relations with the Southern Neighbourhood," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(4), pages 891-908, July.
    12. Sarah Wolff & David Gazsi & Daniela Huber & Nora Fisher‐Onar, 2022. "How to Reflexively Decentre EU Foreign Policy: Dissonance and Contrapuntal Reconstruction in Migration, Religious and Neighbourhood Governance," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(6), pages 1611-1628, November.
    13. Thilo Bodenstein & Achim Kemmerling, 2017. "The European Union as a Collective Actor: Aid and Trade in African Public Opinion," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 35(4), pages 567-586, July.
    14. Sangeeta Khorana & Maria Garcia, 2013. "European Union–India Trade Negotiations: One Step Forward, One Back?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(4), pages 684-700, July.
    15. Daniela Donno & Michael Neureiter, 2018. "Can human rights conditionality reduce repression? Examining the European Union’s economic agreements," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 335-357, September.
    16. Gerau, Jasmin, 2012. "Shared Perceptions of Green? The perception and acceptance of European Union values and rules in environmental policy in Jordan," IEE Working Papers 195, Ruhr University Bochum, Institute of Development Research and Development Policy (IEE).
    17. Thyen, Kressen, 2018. "Why It Matters What We Do: Arab Citizens' Perceptions of the European Union after the 2011 Uprisings," GIGA Working Papers 312, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    18. Raffaella A. Del Sarto, 2016. "Normative Empire Europe: The European Union, its Borderlands, and the ‘Arab Spring’," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 215-232, March.
    19. Jörg Faust & Maria Melody Garcia, 2014. "With or Without Force? European Public Opinion on Democracy Promotion," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 861-878, July.
    20. Jacob Wood & Gohar Feroz Khan, 2015. "International trade negotiation analysis: network and semantic knowledge infrastructure," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 105(1), pages 537-556, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:58:y:2020:i:3:p:706-722. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0021-9886 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.