"The measure of power and the power of measure"Stefano Guzzini invited guest speaker at the Jacobs University Bremen on 24 April 2008Power is not sufficiently measurable to provide the basis for falsifiable explanations in international relations. Hence, almost any non-trivial explanation can be made fit to the ‘distribution of power’ ex post. That applies also to the popular (and often un-reflected) statements in terms of the balance of power, made by academics, politicians, and journalists alike. Instead, the measure of power is itself in need of explanation. Its definition has wide political implications, since power is conceptually connected to the ‘art of the possible’ and hence politicizes issues: saying that one had the power to do things, asks agents to justify why they might not have acted. Calling an actor powerful mobilizes a sense of responsibility. Whatever becomes the agreed measure of power influences political debate and can affect political outcomes. This lecture at Jacobs University Bremen, an international private university, is part of Stefano Guzzini’s lecture tour through Germany and applies some of the ideas that are forthcoming in his book on Power and International Relations, to be published by Cambridge University Press. Hyperlink for Jacobs University Bremen |
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