Individual skill
io-theory-building
Use when building the theoretical argument of an International Organization (IO) manuscript into a generalizable theory of international politics — whether rationalist/formal (bargaining, signaling, delegation, cooperation), constructivist/ideational, or empirical with explicit international mechanisms. IO rewards a portable IR theory over a bare finding. Structures the argument; it does not run analyses.
International-Organization-Skills/skills/io-theory-building/SKILL.md
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# 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
