Este trabalho trata da relação entre competição, estrutura e agência nas Relações Internacionais. Ele se estrutura em três partes. A primeira parte contextualiza o estudo na agenda de pesquisa dos Estudos Estratégicos Internacionais. Para tanto, discute-se a pertinência do debate agente–estrutura, bem como delimitam-se os pressupostos ontológicos que nortearão o restante do trabalho. A segunda parte é o artigo. Analisam-se os efeitos da competição no processo de evolução dos sistemas políticos internacionais, sistemas políticos nacionais e estados. Por conta disso, discute-se a ontologia de cada objeto de análise e, em seguida, busca-se os mecanismos causais que conectam suas respectivas trajetórias evolutivas. De acordo com os atores e meios envolvidos, três dimensões de competição social são identificadas: competição internacional; construção do estado; e concorrência regulada. A hipótese de trabalho é que os resultados das interações entre as estratégias escolhidas pelos agentes para enfrentar o tipo de competição com que se deparam causam mudanças na estrutura dos sistemas políticos internacionais, nacionais e nas características das organizações políticas estatais. Na terceira parte, discute-se as implicações teóricas e práticas decorrentes do trabalho, bem como são assinaladas perspectivas para a continuação da agenda de pesquisa. Sugere-se que a incorporação de conceitos e categorias desenvolvidas pela literatura de Teoria de Sistemas e da Complexidade é fundamental para a superação de dicotomias ontológicas e epistemológicas nas ciências sociais. Ademais, argumenta-se que o aperfeiçoamento das organizações políticas é indissociável da compreensão de que a busca por defesa e segurança pelos estados não é apenas uma força destruidora, mas também pode produzir efeitos que potencializam a coesão social e expandem direitos fundamentais. Logo, propõe-se que a agenda de pesquisa decorrente desse trabalho deverá se debruçar sobre a questão de quais são as condições em que interações competitivas contribuem para o surgimento de organizações políticas capazes de sobreviverem e atuarem no sistema político internacional contemporâneo, bem como proverem segurança, bem-estar e direitos políticos para seus cidadãos. / This paper deals with the relationship among competition, structure and agency in International Relations. The study is structured in three parts. The first part contextualizes the work in the research agenda of the International Strategic Studies. Therefore, we discuss the relevance of the agent-structure debate, and delimit the ontological assumptions and that will guide the rest of the study. The second part is the article. It analyzes the effects of competition in the process of evolution of international political systems, national political systems and states. On that account, discusses the ontology of each object of analysis, and then seeks the causal mechanisms that connect their evolutionary trajectories. According to the actors and means involved three dimensions of social competition are identified: international competition; construction of state; and regulated competition. The working hypothesis is that the results of the interactions among the strategies chosen by agents to cope with the kind of competition they encounter cause changes in the structure of international political systems, national political systems and in the characteristics of the state political organizations. In the third part, it is discussed theoretical and practical implications resulting from study, and also prospects for the continuation of the research agenda. It is suggested that the incorporation of concepts and categories developed by Systems and Complexity Theory is fundamental to overcoming ontological and epistemological dichotomies in the social sciences. Moreover, it is argued that the improvement of our political organizations is inseparable from the understanding that the search for security and defense by states is not only a destructive force, but can also produce effects that enhance social cohesion and expansion of fundamental rights. Therefore, it is proposed that the research agenda derived from the study should lean over the question of what are the conditions under which competitive interactions contribute to the emergence of political organizations able not only to survive and act in the contemporary international political system, but also provide security, welfare, and political rights to its citizens.

Este trabalho trata da relação entre competição, estrutura e agência nas Relações Internacionais. Ele se estrutura em três partes. A primeira parte contextualiza o estudo na agenda de pesquisa dos Estudos Estratégicos Internacionais. Para tanto, discute-se a pertinência do debate agente–estrutura, bem como delimitam-se os pressupostos ontológicos que nortearão o restante do trabalho. A segunda parte é o artigo. Analisam-se os efeitos da competição no processo de evolução dos sistemas políticos internacionais, sistemas políticos nacionais e estados. Por conta disso, discute-se a ontologia de cada objeto de análise e, em seguida, busca-se os mecanismos causais que conectam suas respectivas trajetórias evolutivas. De acordo com os atores e meios envolvidos, três dimensões de competição social são identificadas: competição internacional; construção do estado; e concorrência regulada. A hipótese de trabalho é que os resultados das interações entre as estratégias escolhidas pelos agentes para enfrentar o tipo de competição com que se deparam causam mudanças na estrutura dos sistemas políticos internacionais, nacionais e nas características das organizações políticas estatais. Na terceira parte, discute-se as implicações teóricas e práticas decorrentes do trabalho, bem como são assinaladas perspectivas para a continuação da agenda de pesquisa. Sugere-se que a incorporação de conceitos e categorias desenvolvidas pela literatura de Teoria de Sistemas e da Complexidade é fundamental para a superação de dicotomias ontológicas e epistemológicas nas ciências sociais. Ademais, argumenta-se que o aperfeiçoamento das organizações políticas é indissociável da compreensão de que a busca por defesa e segurança pelos estados não é apenas uma força destruidora, mas também pode produzir efeitos que potencializam a coesão social e expandem direitos fundamentais. Logo, propõe-se que a agenda de pesquisa decorrente desse trabalho deverá se debruçar sobre a questão de quais são as condições em que interações competitivas contribuem para o surgimento de organizações políticas capazes de sobreviverem e atuarem no sistema político internacional contemporâneo, bem como proverem segurança, bem-estar e direitos políticos para seus cidadãos. / This paper deals with the relationship among competition, structure and agency in International Relations. The study is structured in three parts. The first part contextualizes the work in the research agenda of the International Strategic Studies. Therefore, we discuss the relevance of the agent-structure debate, and delimit the ontological assumptions and that will guide the rest of the study. The second part is the article. It analyzes the effects of competition in the process of evolution of international political systems, national political systems and states. On that account, discusses the ontology of each object of analysis, and then seeks the causal mechanisms that connect their evolutionary trajectories. According to the actors and means involved three dimensions of social competition are identified: international competition; construction of state; and regulated competition. The working hypothesis is that the results of the interactions among the strategies chosen by agents to cope with the kind of competition they encounter cause changes in the structure of international political systems, national political systems and in the characteristics of the state political organizations. In the third part, it is discussed theoretical and practical implications resulting from study, and also prospects for the continuation of the research agenda. It is suggested that the incorporation of concepts and categories developed by Systems and Complexity Theory is fundamental to overcoming ontological and epistemological dichotomies in the social sciences. Moreover, it is argued that the improvement of our political organizations is inseparable from the understanding that the search for security and defense by states is not only a destructive force, but can also produce effects that enhance social cohesion and expansion of fundamental rights. Therefore, it is proposed that the research agenda derived from the study should lean over the question of what are the conditions under which competitive interactions contribute to the emergence of political organizations able not only to survive and act in the contemporary international political system, but also provide security, welfare, and political rights to its citizens.

Este trabalho trata da relação entre competição, estrutura e agência nas Relações Internacionais. Ele se estrutura em três partes. A primeira parte contextualiza o estudo na agenda de pesquisa dos Estudos Estratégicos Internacionais. Para tanto, discute-se a pertinência do debate agente–estrutura, bem como delimitam-se os pressupostos ontológicos que nortearão o restante do trabalho. A segunda parte é o artigo. Analisam-se os efeitos da competição no processo de evolução dos sistemas políticos internacionais, sistemas políticos nacionais e estados. Por conta disso, discute-se a ontologia de cada objeto de análise e, em seguida, busca-se os mecanismos causais que conectam suas respectivas trajetórias evolutivas. De acordo com os atores e meios envolvidos, três dimensões de competição social são identificadas: competição internacional; construção do estado; e concorrência regulada. A hipótese de trabalho é que os resultados das interações entre as estratégias escolhidas pelos agentes para enfrentar o tipo de competição com que se deparam causam mudanças na estrutura dos sistemas políticos internacionais, nacionais e nas características das organizações políticas estatais. Na terceira parte, discute-se as implicações teóricas e práticas decorrentes do trabalho, bem como são assinaladas perspectivas para a continuação da agenda de pesquisa. Sugere-se que a incorporação de conceitos e categorias desenvolvidas pela literatura de Teoria de Sistemas e da Complexidade é fundamental para a superação de dicotomias ontológicas e epistemológicas nas ciências sociais. Ademais, argumenta-se que o aperfeiçoamento das organizações políticas é indissociável da compreensão de que a busca por defesa e segurança pelos estados não é apenas uma força destruidora, mas também pode produzir efeitos que potencializam a coesão social e expandem direitos fundamentais. Logo, propõe-se que a agenda de pesquisa decorrente desse trabalho deverá se debruçar sobre a questão de quais são as condições em que interações competitivas contribuem para o surgimento de organizações políticas capazes de sobreviverem e atuarem no sistema político internacional contemporâneo, bem como proverem segurança, bem-estar e direitos políticos para seus cidadãos. / This paper deals with the relationship among competition, structure and agency in International Relations. The study is structured in three parts. The first part contextualizes the work in the research agenda of the International Strategic Studies. Therefore, we discuss the relevance of the agent-structure debate, and delimit the ontological assumptions and that will guide the rest of the study. The second part is the article. It analyzes the effects of competition in the process of evolution of international political systems, national political systems and states. On that account, discusses the ontology of each object of analysis, and then seeks the causal mechanisms that connect their evolutionary trajectories. According to the actors and means involved three dimensions of social competition are identified: international competition; construction of state; and regulated competition. The working hypothesis is that the results of the interactions among the strategies chosen by agents to cope with the kind of competition they encounter cause changes in the structure of international political systems, national political systems and in the characteristics of the state political organizations. In the third part, it is discussed theoretical and practical implications resulting from study, and also prospects for the continuation of the research agenda. It is suggested that the incorporation of concepts and categories developed by Systems and Complexity Theory is fundamental to overcoming ontological and epistemological dichotomies in the social sciences. Moreover, it is argued that the improvement of our political organizations is inseparable from the understanding that the search for security and defense by states is not only a destructive force, but can also produce effects that enhance social cohesion and expansion of fundamental rights. Therefore, it is proposed that the research agenda derived from the study should lean over the question of what are the conditions under which competitive interactions contribute to the emergence of political organizations able not only to survive and act in the contemporary international political system, but also provide security, welfare, and political rights to its citizens.

What is the relationship between networks and unit-level outcomes, such as the international trade network among states and domestic rule of law or repression? Do these effects hold after accounting for actors' strategic selection of network ties? I explore these questions by building a multi-player game, in which players make two simultaneous decisions: (1) whether to form trade links and with who, and (2) whether to increase their trade benefits by improving their type, associated with the level of domestic economic risk factors. The model predicts an endogenous relationship between the number of direct trade partners and the probability of playing High Type: High Type states have more direct trade partners, and the number of trade partners has a positive effect on the probability of choosing High Type. A state's type is also affected by indirect trade connections--counter-intuitively, indirect trade has a negative effect on the probability of choosing High Type. In Chapters 3 and 4, I test the general predictions of the theoretical model, by applying them to two distinct areas of international research. In Chapter 3, I conceptualize a state's type as the level of domestic rule of law enforcement. States with strong rule of law enforcement are regarded as High Type states, because they guarantee lower cost of operations within their borders, by enforcing property rights and contractual law. Weak rule of law states, on the other hand, can be thought of as Low Type states, as business operations within such states are constantly threatened by a risk of expropriations, inefficiencies associated with corruption within the judicial system, and other manifestations of poor business practices. In Chapter 4, I recast the theoretical model by showing how a state's type can be conceptualized as a state's domestic respect for human rights. Highlighting the economic costs of repression, such as higher economic risk, negative publicity, and decreased quality of human capital, I argue that these costs are suffered by both the domestic economic elites and their international business partners. These business elites can, however, alleviate their losses resulting from such costs by either pressuring their government to embrace stronger human rights protections or, when this option is unavailable, by setting up channels for indirect economic transactions through states with more favorable political environments. To test each Chapter's empirical predictions, model the simultaneity between network formation and effect, using a statistical estimator developed by Ripley, Snijders, and Preciado (2012). This statistical estimator, referred to as a continuous Markov Chain exponential random graph model (MC ERGM), allows for a close mimicking of the theoretical model by simultaneously modeling two dependent variables: network formation and its effect on actors' behavior. The results of the statistical tests provide some support the theoretical predictions.

According to several scholars, the EU anti-fraud structure is inadequate for the amount of fraud happening in the EU. Based on this scholarly debate this thesis sets out to investigate, how the EU anti-fraud structure developed. The motivation for this research is to find out why is EU anti-fraud structure in this unfavorable position and how it developed to get in such a position. To answer the main question this thesis studies the EU fraud scandals and the EU values as the two important influences on the development of the EU anti-fraud structure. The two main influences were pinpointed based on the theory used in this article and its core concepts. The constructivist theory of International Relations offers the concepts of identity and actor-structure problem to help study the topic of this thesis. The power relations between actors and structure are examined based on scandals across the EU history and values are studied by analyzing the core EU treaties and institutional reports. After exploring the development of the EU anti-fraud structure, this work concludes that values and scandals were the most important formative powers.

The field training of army units includes high financial, material and human resource investments. From this reason, an emphasis on the simulator training of these units arised recently. But the training in simulator needs to have the simulated units as intelligent as a human beings are, so the field training with real human opponents can be successfully replaced with the simulator training. This work deals with the design of fighting unit's intelligent behaviour, that will be applicable in the E-COM simulator environment. Work covers the description of intelligent agents and ways how to achieve their rational and autonomous behaviour. The proposal and the analysis of intelligent fighting unit's implementation and unit's communication with surrounding environment, basic implementation of this proposal and experiments with created implementation are also described in this work.