Session 18: How changing norms form an integral part of our progress?

Finnermore and Sikkink in their article "international norms, dynamics and political change" talks about the nature of norms and its influence in the field of political Science. He talks about how norms are created in imbibed in a particular society. He covers three main points in his article including the ideational concerns which have been traditional concerns of political science. Secondly he talks about the central difficulty of ideational concerns of explaining change and instability and lastly he talks about the processes of social construction and strategic bargaining which are both deeply intertwined.

The emergence of norms arrives with the deep seated will for change among the policymakers who then uses public forums and organisations to implement the norms they desire to inculcate. State also adopts certain norms out of international pressure and to strengthen its domestic legitimacy. And once a norm has been introduced, the job of the policy makers and state is to wait and let the norms internalize in the society.

Later on, the author talks about the kinds of norms that reaches its tipping point and becomes and instrument of change in a society. These requires legitimacy as the norms should be conform with the ideology and culture of the state, it requires prominence as norms held my prominent and popular states are likely to be adopted. There are also some intrinsic qualities that are required in a norm for it be generally accepted. These qualities includes unversalism, individualism, vulantarisitic authority and rational progress. In addition to these norms also requires adjacency in relation to already set norms and doesn't create disapproval from the masses.

This article provides a cogent for general people to assess the changing environment around them and allows them to view these changes more objectively rather than just be passive spectator to it. Everyone studies history and changing times but development of norms provide deep analysis of reasons for change and how an individual can cope with changing times and subsequently progress.

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