International organizations and other international institutions are created and expected to provide solutions whenever governments face challenges across borders, such as conflict and war, humanitarian emergencies, pandemics, climate change, financial crises, trade restrictions, economic development, and human rights. But their role in world politics is controversial. Some perceive international institutions as effective and legitimate alternatives to unilateral state policies, while others view them as cover for the exercise of power by dominant states. Many are disappointed by the gap between the lofty aspirations and their actual performance in addressing global problems— and wonder how that gap could be closed. Global power shifts, geopolitical tensions and hostility to international governance pose major challenges to international cooperation. 

While some observers tend to lump all international institutions together, in reality the functioning, power, and effectiveness of international institutions differ widely – across organisations, issues, regions, and over time. The first part of the course introduces influential explanations for key questions about international institutions: why they are created, why they differ, who makes the key decisions and how, when and why they help solve international problems, and how they relate to one another in complex webs of global governance. The second part answers these questions in relation to specific international organizations, including the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as international institutions in the areas of human rights, environmental protection, and global health. The course also considers international organizations that promote regional integration.

 

While some observers tend to lump all international institutions together, in reality the functioning, power, and effectiveness of international institutions differ widely – across organisations, issues, regions, and over time. The first part of the course introduces influential explanations for key questions about international institutions: why they are created, why they differ, who makes the key decisions and how, when and why they help solve international problems, and how they relate to one another in complex webs of global governance. The second part answers these questions in relation to specific international organizations, including the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as international institutions in the areas of human rights, environmental protection, and global health. The course also considers international organizations that promote regional integration.