Heterarchy: Toward Paradigm Shift in World Politics
Author(s)
Philip G. Cerny
Date Issued
2021
Type
article
Volume
14
Issue
1
Start Page
235
End Page
257
Journal
Abstract
International Relations theory has been dominated since the study
of IR formally began at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, in
1919 by the presumption that world politics is at its core a system of
states. We argue that this way of conceiving world politics was (a)
always problematic and challengeable, and (b) time-bound and
increasingly anachronistic. In the 21st century world politics is
becoming increasingly multi-nodal and characterised by heterarchy
– the predominance of cross-cutting sectoral mini- and mesohierarchies
above, below and cutting across states. These heterarchical
institutions and processes are characterized by increasing
autonomy and special interest capture. In this context, states today
are no longer primarily ‘guardian states’ but more and more ‘reactive
states’; state capacity is not simply eroded but entangled in
hybrid structures and processes. A fundamental paradigm shift is
required in our understanding of how world politics works.