從 1950、60 年代受到政治學「行為主義革命」的影響，國際關係理論 開始嘗試建立科學的研究，「科學派」遂以「體系論」(system theory)進行 國際關係的理論化，國際關係的理論化也就成為國際體系的理論化。歷經 1960 年代只有少數國際關係學者關注國際體系理論的「相當低度發展的階 段」，1970 年代起逐漸有較多不同的學者都嘗試藉由其他學科(例如社會 學、生物學、控制學)學者的體系理論提出不同的「國際體系」理論化途 徑，1980 年代由新現實主義..

Following the behavioralism revolution of political science in the 1950– 60s, attempts for international relations(IR)theory to become scientific began with the theorization of IR through systems theory that engendered the theorization of international systems. Through an underdeveloped stage involved with only a few scholars in the 1960s, a contending stage with various approaches proposed in the 1970s, a dominated stage of neorealism in the 1980s, and to an opposite stage of constructivism and international historical..

國際關係歷史社會學承諾要打破主流國際關係學界中的歐洲中心論 (Eurocentrism)，但至今為止很少有人從事具體的歷史社會學經驗研究來兌 現這個承諾。許田波(Victoria Tin-Bor Hui)對近代早期歐洲與上古中國的國家形成做出具有開創性的比較研究是少數的例外，她探索的主要問題是何以歐洲國家間的軍事競爭會維持一種競爭性的多國體系，而中國的戰國體系最終卻匯歸為一統帝國?她認為秦國能統一中國主要是因為它進行了自強型的改革，而歐洲國家則多半採取了自弱..

Historical sociology in international relations promises to undermine the Eurocentrism that is characteristic of mainstream international relations theories. To date, however, few empirical studies in historical sociology have been carried out to deliver on that promise. Victoria Tin-Bor Hui’s ground- breaking comparative study of state formations in early modern Europe and ancient China is a rare exception. The main question she addresses in her work is why under similar pressure of military competition, Europe continu..

國際關係理論多集中於討論無政府狀態(anarchy)假設延伸下的國家互動，對國際體系中的層級(hierarchy)現象，並沒有多所注意。尤其新現實 主義的研究典範，忽略國際體系發生層級結構的可能性，更輕視討論層級結構的價值。 層級結構是國家在國際體系內追求發展與生存的過程中，所衍生出的一種權力分配暨權威(authority)規範的建構結果。霸權穩定論(Hegemony Stability Theory)與權力轉移論(Power Tran..

Neorealism and Neoliberial-institutionalism have paid little attention to the international hierarchy because international hierarchy could not take place in an international anarchic structure. The international hierarchy is a constructed result coming from the interaction of power distribution and normative authority in the process of which states seek survival and development in the international system. The international hierarchy has four characters: the asymmetry of actor’s power resources, the differen..