Hierarchy in Regime Complexes: Understanding Authority in Antarctic Governance

Many scholars argue that regime complexes are nonhierarchical. However, if that is true, then how does authority function? This article argues that the conceptualization of regime complexes as largely devoid of hierarchy is mistaken. Instead, it offers a new definition of regime complexes: emergent patterns of authority among state and non-state actors, which vary in their degree of hierarchy. Hierarchy in regime complexes looks different from political scientists’ traditional conceptualization. It is systemic, emergent, and positional. I present two dimensions of variation in hierarchy: deference and autonomy. These dimensions provide both a conceptual and an empirical strategy for understanding how authority relations are constituted. Conceptually, they allow us to “see” hierarchy in regime complexes. Empirically, they provide transparent, replicable and variable measures, which have eluded much of the work to date. I use topic modeling coupled with network analysis to detect hierarchy in the regime complex for Antarctica. I demonstrate that the inclusion of non-state actors and their governance activities changes our understanding of the Antarctic regime complex. This approach reveals a hierarchical regime complex, where some non-state actors have considerable authority and are governing issues not regulated by formal rules.

Four Conceptions of Authority in International Relations

There is increasing agreement that states and other political actors on the world stage sometimes achieve international authority. However, there is less agreement about the nature and functioning of international authority relations. What determines whether an actor will be recognized as an authoritative actor? And what are the effects thereof? In this essay, we identify four distinct conceptions of authority in the study of international relations: authority as contract, authority as domination, authority as impression, and authority as consecration. Consideration of the typology leads to two important insights. First, the phenomenon of authority has an essentially experiential dimension. Subordinate actors’ emotional experience of authority determines their response to authority and thus also has a fundamental impact on the stability of authority. Second, the emergence of forms of international authority does not entail, at least not necessarily, the weakening of the sovereignty of states, but can equally be argued to strengthen it.

Unacceptable Agency

The Earth System Governance Project is the largest scholarly body in the world devoted to articulating governance of the Earth’s systems. It recently published a “Harvesting Initiative” looking back on the first iteration of its Scientific Plan. This paper contributes to the decolonial and constructive critique of the theory of agency in that Initiative and argues that it displays “fragmentary coloniality” especially around problematic authority relations in governance. By turning to work on “worlding,” the paper argues for radicalizing questions of authority, leading us to focus not on agency but on moral relationships—work for a sequel to this paper.

Hubungan Kewenangan antara Pemerintah Pusat dan Pemerintah Daerah Berdasarkan Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia

This article aims to examines the implementation of government affairs. So that it excludes regi­ons to get involved directly and independently in order to manage and fight for the interests of the­ir regions. Therefore, the issue of authority relations is related to how to determine the house­hold affairs of the autonomous regions. Thus, the effort to find the ideal form of relationship between the center and the regions within the framework of a unitary state is not an easy problem to find. However, in the author's perspective, the relative autonomy model is a better choice of models to create a pattern of authority relations between the central government and regional governments

Relasi Kuasa Dalam Tataniaga Pertanian Komoditas Cabai di Desa Giri Mulyo, Kabupaten Kerinci, Jambi

Giri Mulyo village of West Kayu Ayo district was known as the biggest the biggest chilli-producing village in Kerinci Regency. In addition, this village also produce the commodity of potatoes and other agricultural products such as shallots, cabbage, mustard greens, tomatoes, and other types of vegetables which are marketed to various regions. The purpose of this research was to investigate the commerce and authority relations formed between chilli farmers and chilli merchants. This reseach conducted qualitatively through observation, deep interview and document study to collect desired data. The result of study showed that in terms of commodity price, the farmers were dependant to merchant decision, and in fact they sometimes suffered losses. Moreover, the chilli farmers especially the sharecroppers sold their product to merchants because they had been their old clients. This relation was maintained because the farmers and the sharecroppers usually depended on them in running their farming business. Furthermore, the authority relation formed between the parties was also influenced by factors of culture, farmer’s helplessness, and market situation.

The politics of disaster vulnerability: Flooding, post-disaster interventions and water governance in Baltistan, Pakistan

This paper uses governance of water infrastructure in two settlements of Baltistan as an entry point to examine the co-production of power and vulnerability. Access to water and irrigated land is a critical factor in determining how the effects of disasters, such as flooding, are socially distributed within a community. At the same time, the governance of water is intimately linked to the longer-term politics of disaster vulnerability. We examine three different forms of disputes over water infrastructure where struggles over authority and social ordering materialise: (i) between and within settlements over access to a water resource; (ii) within settlements over post-disaster water infrastructure development and (iii) between a settlement and the district government over land, water rights and flood protection. The findings illustrate that the governance of water infrastructure involves continuous negotiations, contestations and disputes over access rights. Access to water resources as an expression of rights plays a key role in the recognition of authority relations. In particular, influential individuals seek to legitimise their leadership role in a settlement by representing the rights and interests of groups in the negotiation of these disputes. However, environmental variability and change, including disasters and post-disaster development interventions, alter perceptions of what constitute legitimate rights, and provide spaces for popular contestation of authority relations through silent non-compliance with decisions. The close interlinkages between material and non-material effects of a disaster are a key feature of the co-production of power and vulnerability. By adding authority relations to studies of village-level practices around disasters, we enrich our understanding of the co-production of power and vulnerability and how these dynamics unfold over time. It is only by investigating this co-production that a deeper understanding can be developed of the mechanisms through which vulnerability is either exacerbated or reduced for particular groups.