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Abstract
Why did some states join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), overriding the US opposition, while others did not? Are they balancing against the USA and accommodating China? Characterizing the joining of the AIIB as a case of hedging, this study unearths the political calculus behind hedging amidst great power rivalry. Placing my argument within a relational-network approach, I argue that states deeply embedded in the dominant international order are more likely to join the AIIB to hedge. First, the fear of abandonment is lower for highly embedded states due to their significance in the international order. Second, the fear of domination is also lower for states with extensive network ties; they can use their social and political power to voice their demands, mobilize other states, and earn policy concessions. Hence, I expect hedging to be a strategy of core states instead of second-tier or rogue states. I test the hypothesis with a large-N analysis using an original dataset on states' embeddedness in the US-led order and comparative case studies of the UK and Ireland.

AbstractThe European Union is a global leader in data protection. Nevertheless, its efforts to shape market practice have been criticized as bureaucratic and lacking citizen participation. The adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has again stoked a heated implementation debate, focusing either on the law's complexity or its new enforcement sanctions. This article draws attention to a less explored provision, Article 80, which allows third parties including non‐governmental organizations to bring complaints for investigation. Empirically, the article demonstrates how NGOs are playing a bottom up role in transforming policy implementation. Theoretically, the article suggests that the legislation offers a novel governance tool – transnational fire alarms – in which third parties enhance accountability in the enforcement phase of the multilevel governance process. The article has implications for the evolution of privacy and data security within Europe as well as the interaction between transnational civil society and pan‐regional democracy.