Theory & Argument Building (io-theory-building)

IO publishes "articles that propose generalizable theories" of international politics. A result is not an IO contribution until it is attached to an IR theory the field can carry to other cases, dyads, and institutions. This skill turns findings into theory: explicit mechanisms operating at or across the international level, scope conditions, and observable implications.

When to trigger

• The empirics are strong but the "so what for IR theory" is thin
• A reviewer said the paper is "atheoretical," "ad hoc," or "just a finding"
• You need to state the international mechanism, assumptions, and scope conditions explicitly
• Formal modeling: deciding what to model about strategic interaction among states/actors

Build the argument (by mode of work)