ABSTRACT
Constructivism deserves attention for two reasons. First, and perhaps less important, constructivism, or more appropriately, one version of constructivism has gained tremendous popularity in International Relations during the past few years (see for instance, Adler 1997; Onuf 1989; Wendt 1992). The question, then, is to what extent constructivism is relevant to International Political Economy. Second, a sharp distinction is commonly drawn between economic and political economic theory, on the one hand, and poststructuralist, postmodernist theories, and more broadly 'cultural' theories, on the other. Indeed, many believe that political economy, including its international variant, stands as bulwark against the ephemeral, fashion conscious, if not reactionary tendencies of the 'posties' in the social sciences.
