Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...

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socio-economic development at national and international levels. Trans-nationalism favors those
flexible models of IGOs where individuals and groups and governments work collectively.
3.4.5.3 Constructivism
Constructivism remained an influenced school in the study of international relations and politics,
during 20 th century. Contrary to behavioralists, constructivists hold that the behavior of humans
is shaped by societal values, culture, institutions and state. Constructivism regards international
relations as conditional phenomena, rather than inevitable consequences of human nature or
other essential characteristics of world politics (Jackson & Nexon, 2003). This theory looks to
the humanities and sociology for insights into how „„reality” is socially constructed (Katzenstein,
Keohane, & Krasner, 1998). According the constructivism theory, IGOs are socially constructed
entities where individual actors, groups or states continuously construct the reality that shapes
the behavior of organization, which is evident from its decisions and actions. Some
constructivists maintain that IGOs play a vital, independent role in spreading global norms
(Koremenos, Lipson, & Snidal, 2001).
Constructivism and rationalism are generic theoretical orientations that are complementary on
some crucial points (Katzenstein, Keohane, & Krasner, 1998). Constructivism theory, contrary to
neo-realist theory, maintain that the absence of a supreme authority at international level or
hegemony state favors the formation and growth of IGOs, which enhance state-state interaction
and cooperation, and promotes international norms and rules consequently it construct stability
in the world. After the cold war, theorists and practitioners of constructivism started laying more
stress on sociological perspective based on shared norms and values (Katzenstein, Keohane, &
Krasner, 1998).
3.4.5.4 Behavioralism
Behavior is the response of an individual or a group to an environment or to someone‟s action
whereas behaviorism is a school of thought in psychology that takes the objective evidence and
excludes subjective phenomena of behavior by studying observable and quantifiable aspects of
behavior. On the other hand behavioralism is an approach used in political science to study the
observable and quantifiable phenomenon at national and international level through scientific
examination of the actions, reactions and interactions of/among individuals, states, institutions or
organization.