Ideas, Interest, and That Thing Called Capitalism

I have to be honest, I was not looking forward to the Max Weber reading this week as I have grown somewhat tired of his texts on capitalism. However, I was presently surprised to find that it was a short reading that did not go extensively into the argument of and perceived history of capitalism, which I had expected. The except of the text "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" by Max Weber, translated by Stephen Kalberg, was an introduction to Module 2 on ideas and interests. The article examines loosely how ideas can be used to further personal and economic interests, to the creation of modern capitalism.

The second reading, "Ideas and Foreign Policy" by Judith Goldstein and Robert Keohane looks more closely at the role of ideas and how they affect policy. One question laid out by Goldstein and Keohane is whether ideas have an impact on political outcomes. Goldstein and Keohane would say that yes, ideas do have an impact on political outcomes, and there are even some ideas listed in the article. First, the authors list the three pathways in which ideas can affect policy: ideas serve as road maps, ideas affect strategic interactions, and ideas are embedded in institutions. Instead of just repeating what was in the text, I am going to look at which concept is more influential in creating policy, ideas or interests.

When looking at ideas and interests, I do not believe that one has to be chosen over the other. I know that reflectivists would argue that something would have had to influence policy, and deciding between the two can help to explain why individuals or even countries make specific policies or take certain actions. However, I believe that ideas and interests go hand in hand to influence foreign policy. For example, a country might be aware of an idea that is widely agreed upon, however the state's own interests could be a larger driving factor in creating policy, in order to extend or even sustain a countries resources. In other words, the preservation of the state is the first interest in a policymakers actions. In addition to this, interests can be put into effect through the use of ideas. Therefore in this respect, one need not be chosen over the other.

https://auisgroup1summer18.blogspot.com/2018/05/ideas-interest-and-that-thing-called.html