International Organization

Volker Rittberger, Bernhard Zangl, Andreas Kruck, Hylke Dijkstra

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781137610058
• eBook ISBN: 9781350311657
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Globalisation
• Index: Politics & International Relations

The third edition of this popular core textbook provides wide-ranging coverage of the structure, internal working, policies and performance of international organizations such as the UN, EU, IMF and World Bank. Such organizations have never been so important in addressing the challenges that face our increasingly globalised world. This book introduces students to theories with which to approach international organizations, their history, and their ability to respond to contemporary issues in world politics from nuclear disarmament, climate change and human rights protection, to trade, monetary and financial relations, and international development. Underpinning the text is the authors' unique model that views international organizations as actual organizations. Reacting to world events, political actors provide the 'inputs' which are converted by the political systems of these organizations (through various decision-making procedures) into 'outputs' that achieve varying levels of real-world impact and effectiveness. This is the perfect text for undergraduate and postgraduate students of politics and international relations taking courses on International organization and global governance, as well as essential reading for those studying the UN, the EU and Globalization. New to this Edition:
- Draws on the most recent research in the field and considers some of the significant world events of the last decade to ensure that the book is completely up to date.
- Two separate chapters considering Trade and Development, and Finance and Monetary Relations respectively.
- Fully accounts for the challenges to international organizations by the emerging powers, the Trump administration and Brexit

© Hylke Dijkstra, Volker Rittberger, Bernhard Zangl and Andreas Kruck, under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2019

Volker Rittberger, Bernhard Zangl, Andreas Kruck and Hylke DijkstraInternational Organizationhttps://doi.org/10.26777/978-1-137-61007-2_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introduction

Volker Rittberger¹ , Bernhard Zangl² , Andreas Kruck³ and Hylke Dijkstra⁴

(1)

Institut für Politikwissenschaft, Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

(2)

Geschwister-Scholl-Inst of Pol Science, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, München, Bayern, Germany

(3)

Geschwister Scholl Institute of Political Science, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, München, Bayern, Germany

(4)

Department of Political Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Volker Rittberger (Corresponding author)

Email: [email protected]

Bernhard Zangl

Email: [email protected]

Andreas Kruck

Email: [email protected]

Hylke Dijkstra

Email: [email protected]

End Abstract

International organizations are a relatively new phenomenon in international relations. They first emerged during the nineteenth century and became ever-more important over the course of the twentieth century. Today, international organizations are involved in nearly all issue areas – from A, as in Arms Control, to Z, as in Zones of Fishing. General purpose international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) or the European Union (EU) cover many different topics, while task-specific organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) or the European Space Agency (ESA) specialize in specific issue areas. Some international organizations, like the UN, have a near universal membership. Others restrict membership on the basis of criteria such as geography, economy, culture or religion; examples include the EU, the African Union (AU), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). All these international organizations contribute to establishing and implementing norms and rules which guide the management of transnational, cross-border problems, such as climate change, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or international terrorism. It is thus no exaggeration to say that it is difficult to understand contemporary world politics without referring to international organizations.

International organizations are, however, not only for diplomats, or for academics to study. Ordinary citizens are also confronted on a daily basis by the work of international organizations. In the wake of the global financial and economic crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the EU, including the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Eurozone group, have become familiar to even the most casual newspaper readers. In recent years, the work of some international organizations has also become fiercely contested. The World Health Organization (WHO) was criticized when it failed to bring the Ebola pandemic under control. Through a referendum, British voters decided to leave the EU. US President Donald Trump decided to quit both the Paris Agreement on climate change and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The fact that ordinary citizens pay attention and that the work of international organizations has increasingly become contested is perhaps the best evidence of their significance: international organizations are no longer technical agencies; they have actual influence on people’s lives.

The international organizations mentioned so far only represent a fraction of the approximately 330 international governmental organizations existing at present (Pevehouse et al. 2004), not to mention around 37,500 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (Union of International Associations n.d.). Figure 1.1 provides an overview of how the number of international organizations has developed since the beginning of the nineteenth century, showing a significant increase after the Second World War ended in 1945. Indeed, the post-war period can be characterized as an era of growing institutionalization of interstate relations. The number of international organizations has stabilized in more recent years. Yet the overall number of international organizations does not tell us everything. Since the end of the Second World War, there have been increases in the political significance of, financial resources assigned to, and number of civil servants working for international organizations. The growth in the number and significance of international organizations are discussed throughout this book.

Figure 1.1

Total number of international organizations since 1800

Source: Based on data from Pevehouse et al. (2004).

This first chapter starts, however, with a seemingly simple question: what are international organizations? The answer, however, is not straightforward. The chapter puts forward a definition, which requires international organizations to have three or more states as members, a plenary meeting at least every ten years, and a permanent secretariat and correspondence address (Pevehouse et al. 2004). As such, international organizations differ from other international institutions, such as international regimes (which do not have a secretariat) or NGOs (which do not have states as members). Yet even when we follow this restrictive definition, we are still left with approximately 330 international organizations of many shapes and sizes. The chapter therefore also introduces a typology that conceptualizes these international organizations along three different types:

• Task-specific international organizations address a limited set of problems, while general purpose international organizations have a wide policy scope.
• Programme international organizations focus on setting norms and rules to address problems, while operational international organizations implement those norms and rules.
• Centralized international organizations have the authority to address problems themselves, while decentralized international organizations rely on the authority of their member states.

After discussing what international organizations are, this chapter asks how we can study them. It suggests three big questions:

• Why are international organizations created?
• How are decisions made and implemented within international organizations?
• How do the decisions and activities of international organizations affect international cooperation?

What are international organizations?

International organizations are obviously of practical importance. But how can they be conceptualized? Surprisingly, the term ‘international organization’ became part of scientific and everyday vocabulary only relatively recently. During the nineteenth century, expressions such as ‘international public union’, ‘international office’ or ‘commission’ were commonly used. A very early example is the Rhine River Commission, which was founded in the aftermath of the Congress of Vienna (1814–15). Its task was (and remains) to facilitate and coordinate the navigation of international traffic on the Rhine. Even today, we cannot simply determine an international organization by its name: the World Trade Organization (WTO) is clearly an international organization, yet the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization as well. It is therefore important to provide a definition of international organizations which distinguishes them from other forms of governance, such as international regimes or NGOs.

As a starting point, it is important to point out that international organizations are a specific sub-category of international institutions. International institutions can be defined as ‘persistent and connected sets of rules (formal and informal) that prescribe behavioral roles, constrain activity, and shape expectations’ (Keohane 1989: 3). International institutions are a very broad category. For instance, the ‘nuclear taboo’ (Tannenwald 1999) – states refrain from using nuclear weapons even if they can – is also an international institution. After all, it is an example of a persistent informal rule (a norm), which constraints the use of the most powerful weapon and shapes expectations between states. Yet the nuclear taboo is clearly not an international organization: it does not have a building, it does not have member states, nor a budget or staff. Instead it is part of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, which also includes the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the IAEA – all different sorts of international institutions aimed at reducing the threat and use of nuclear weapons.

Box 1.1International institutions, international regimes and international organizations

International institutions are ‘persistent and connected sets of rules (formal and informal) that prescribe behavioral roles, constrain activity, and shape expectations’ (Keohane 1989: 3). International regimes are ‘implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures around which actors’ expectations converge in a given area of international relations’ (Krasner 1983: 2). International organizations have three or more states as members, hold a plenary meeting at least every ten years, and have a permanent secretariat and correspondence address (Pevehouse et al. 2004).

So what are international organizations? And how can we distinguish them from other international institutions? In this book, international organizations are defined as having (1) three or more states as members, (2) a plenary meeting at least every ten years, (3) and a permanent secretariat and correspondence address (Pevehouse et al. 2004). It is important to discuss these three elements of the definition in greater de...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Frontmatter
• 1. Introduction
• 1. Theory and History of International Organizations
• 2. Policy-Making in International Organizations
• 3. Activities of International Organizations
• 4. Conclusion
• Backmatter