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Political leadership and gendered multilevel games in foreign policy

Aggestam, Karin LU orcid and True, Jacqui (2021) In International Affairs 97(2). p.385-404
Abstract
Gender intersects as a major fault-line in increasingly polarized, contemporary global politics. Many democratic states in the global North and South have adopted pro-gender norms in their foreign policies, while other states and populist regimes have resisted the promotion of gender equality and women's rights. This article analyses how political leaders harness gender dynamics to further their power, status and authority to act in foreign policy. While scholarship on foreign policy analysis has emphasized the role of individuals, political leaders and their followers, and of two-level games balancing domestic and international pressures, we advance a novel theoretical concept: ‘gendered multilevel games’. This new concept highlights the... (More)
Gender intersects as a major fault-line in increasingly polarized, contemporary global politics. Many democratic states in the global North and South have adopted pro-gender norms in their foreign policies, while other states and populist regimes have resisted the promotion of gender equality and women's rights. This article analyses how political leaders harness gender dynamics to further their power, status and authority to act in foreign policy. While scholarship on foreign policy analysis has emphasized the role of individuals, political leaders and their followers, and of two-level games balancing domestic and international pressures, we advance a novel theoretical concept: ‘gendered multilevel games’. This new concept highlights the gendered dynamics of the problem of agency and structure in foreign policy, which are generated from the interactions between the domestic, international and transnational levels, and reach within and across states. To illustrate the utility of this concept, we analyse foreign policy leadership and the variation in gendered multilevel games in four vignettes: (1) hyper-masculinity and revisionist leadership; (2) normative leadership and gendered nation-branding; (3) compassionate leadership and gendered transnational symbolism; and (4) contested leadership on pro- and anti-gender norms in foreign policy. Importantly, these empirical illustrations show how adept political leaders navigate pro- and anti-gender norms to achieve core and often divergent foreign policy goals. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
International Affairs
volume
97
issue
2
pages
19 pages
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85108320128
ISSN
0020-5850
DOI
10.1093/ia/iiaa222
project
Rethinking Peace Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
Gender and Foreign Policy
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4941c185-c429-4291-b928-5dd17a90d67f
date added to LUP
2021-05-19 17:08:32
date last changed
2023-10-10 19:51:13
@article{4941c185-c429-4291-b928-5dd17a90d67f,
  abstract     = {{Gender intersects as a major fault-line in increasingly polarized, contemporary global politics. Many democratic states in the global North and South have adopted pro-gender norms in their foreign policies, while other states and populist regimes have resisted the promotion of gender equality and women's rights. This article analyses how political leaders harness gender dynamics to further their power, status and authority to act in foreign policy. While scholarship on foreign policy analysis has emphasized the role of individuals, political leaders and their followers, and of two-level games balancing domestic and international pressures, we advance a novel theoretical concept: ‘gendered multilevel games’. This new concept highlights the gendered dynamics of the problem of agency and structure in foreign policy, which are generated from the interactions between the domestic, international and transnational levels, and reach within and across states. To illustrate the utility of this concept, we analyse foreign policy leadership and the variation in gendered multilevel games in four vignettes: (1) hyper-masculinity and revisionist leadership; (2) normative leadership and gendered nation-branding; (3) compassionate leadership and gendered transnational symbolism; and (4) contested leadership on pro- and anti-gender norms in foreign policy. Importantly, these empirical illustrations show how adept political leaders navigate pro- and anti-gender norms to achieve core and often divergent foreign policy goals.}},
  author       = {{Aggestam, Karin and True, Jacqui}},
  issn         = {{0020-5850}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{385--404}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{International Affairs}},
  title        = {{Political leadership and gendered multilevel games in foreign policy}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiaa222}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/ia/iiaa222}},
  volume       = {{97}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}