Patterns of International Organization. Task Specific vs. General Purpose

32 Pages Posted: 23 Jan 2015

See all articles by Tobias Lenz

Tobias Lenz

University of Goettingen (Göttingen)

Jeanine Bezuijen

Independent

Liesbet Hooghe

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Political Science Department; European University Institute - Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS)

Gary Marks

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Political Science Department

Date Written: December 2014

Abstract

This paper surveys fundamental contrasts in the articulation of international authority using a new dataset, constructed by the authors, that estimates the composition and decision-making rules of 72 international organizations from 1950 to 2010. We theorize that two modes of governance – general purpose and task specific – represent distinctive ways of organizing political life, and this has stark implications for the exercise of international authority. We engage theoretical perspectives that bridge rational and constructivist approaches to examine how general purpose and task specific international organizations exhibit systematic differences in their institutional configuration, delegation, pooling, and development.

Keywords: International organization, delegation, pooling, authority, autonomy

Suggested Citation

Lenz, Tobias and Bezuijen, Jeanine and Hooghe, Liesbet and Marks, Gary, Patterns of International Organization. Task Specific vs. General Purpose (December 2014). Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies Research Paper No. RSCAS 2014/128, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2554275 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2554275

Tobias Lenz (Contact Author)

University of Goettingen (Göttingen) ( email )

Platz der Gottinger Sieben 3
Gottingen, D-37073
Germany

Jeanine Bezuijen

Independent ( email )

Liesbet Hooghe

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Political Science Department ( email )

Chapel Hill, NC 27599
United States

European University Institute - Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS) ( email )

Villa Schifanoia, Via Boccaccio 121
50016 San Domenico di Fiesole
Florence, Florence 50014
Italy

HOME PAGE: http://https://hooghe.web.unc.edu

Gary Marks

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Political Science Department ( email )

Chapel Hill, NC 27599
United States

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