Abstract:
The concept of “normative power” has emerged, as states continuously looked for
additional ways to infuse norms within a system. Normative power refers to the power of governing
the creation, deletion, or modification of norms within a system or society, and thus entails a strong
power of attraction. As most norms are informal having no legal binding, therefore, they seem to be
weak in their application. This raises the question of the effectiveness of normative power in the
twenty-first century. However, universality, equality, similarity, necessity, etc. provide the moral
justification of norms and help them to be infused within state and social systems. Universality also
provides the legitimacy of the use of normative power by its actors across the globe. As the world is
changing, therefore, more norms will be created and due to the increased interdependency and
connectivity, the necessity of norms will also increase. At the same time without legal binding, norms
provide greater flexibility in states’ actions. Therefore, instead of entering into legal binding, states
will attach more importance to norms and normative power in the twenty-first century.
