Two grids on the same template. The first is empty - print it, fill in each cell with a one-line note while you revise. The second is a worked example to check yourself against.
Each cell asks one question: does this row strengthen the column quality (mark +) or weaken it (mark -)? Then add a one-line note saying why. The plus and minus columns are deliberately not pre-printed - your judgement is the work.
| Theory+ - | States are the key actors | Anarchy drives behaviour | Durable cooperation | Institutions and law | Human nature pessimistic | Ideas shape interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Realism | ||||||
| Liberalism | ||||||
| English School | ||||||
| Constructivism |
| Theory+ - | States are the key actors | Anarchy drives behaviour | Durable cooperation | Institutions and law | Human nature pessimistic | Ideas shape interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Realism | +states are the dominant actors; billiard balls in anarchy | +anarchy is the bedrock condition shaping all behaviour | -cooperation is possible but limited and power-contingent | -institutions reflect power; the EU is a problem case | ±classical realism yes; neo-realism roots it in structure | -interests come from power and structure, not identity |
| Liberalism | -states are not the only actors; IGOs, NGOs, MNCs matter | -anarchy does not prevent cooperation | +cooperation is durable through institutions and trade | +institutions reduce transaction costs and constrain states | -the order is improvable, not fixed by grim human nature | ±regime type matters, but mechanisms are material |
| English School | +a society of states; non-state actors underweighted | ±anarchical but also a society, so order coexists with anarchy | +ordered coexistence rests on shared rules and consent | +five institutions: law, diplomacy, balance of power and more | -rejects the Hobbesian state of nature framing | ±norms and shared understanding matter, but it is state-centric |
| Constructivism | ±states act, but identities and norms are the real focus | -anarchy is what states make of it | ±cooperation depends on the culture of anarchy in play | ±norms matter and can cascade, but ideas come first | -no fixed human nature; behaviour follows belief | +interests flow from identity; Zeitenwende the case |