The Political Economy of International Organizations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Vaubel ◽  
Thomas D Willett
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
The Political

Poor Numbers: Statistical Chains and the Political Economy of Numbers

2016 ◽  
Vol 71 (04) ◽  
pp. 507-538
Author(s):  
Agnès Labrousse
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
The Political ◽  
Comparative Political Economy ◽  
Historical Ethnography

Morten Jerven'sPoor Numberssheds light on the acute fragility of African statistics, itself linked to the precarious conditions in which aggregates are produced. As patchy and problematic as they are, these numbers are nevertheless ubiquitous as instruments of proof and tools of government. Quantified fictions take shape in complex statistical chains that stretch from their producers to the economists who use them, and are mediated by international organizations. Focusing on the criterion of accuracy,Poor Numberspowerfully conveys its message of “garbage in, garbage out,” but leaves important questions related to the relevance of statistics unanswered. The history, sociology, and political economy of numbers sketched by Jerven merit closer consideration with a view to the following: identifying the connections between evolving state forms and the development of statistics; establishing a historical ethnography of the organizations that produce and use numbers; understanding the growing role of multinationals in the political economy of statistics; taking a less conciliatory view of the involvement of international organizations; and, last but not least, denaturalizing the dominant economic categories by integrating the plurality of economic approaches to statistics. The article concludes with a call for a comparative political economy of numbers that would no longer consider the African case in isolation, and would work against the idea that Africa has not entered statistical history, or has only done so “by mistake.”

L'O.N.U., le Système economique international et la politique internationale

1975 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 469-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Holly
Keyword(s):  
International Economic ◽  
Political Economy ◽  
United Nations ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
International Politics ◽  
International System ◽  
The Political ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
International Economic Relations ◽  
Traditional Approaches

Available data on the activities of the multinationals and other aspects of international economic relations have rendered traditional approaches to the study of international politics, international organizations and the international system obsolete. The political and economic facts of international life are so intertwined that it has become compulsory to resort to the findings of political economy to discuss the international system and its functions and to assess properly the role and functions of the United Nations within it.

International organizations and the political economy of reforms

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 ◽  
pp. 103249
Author(s):  
Sebastian Galiani ◽  
Ivan Torre ◽  
Gustavo Torrens
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
The Political

scholarly journals Transnational State Elites and the Neoliberal Project in Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Salas Porras
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
The Political ◽  
Global Networks ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Corporate Networks ◽  
Transnational Organizations ◽  
Mexican State

AbstractThis article explores the connection between the emergence of transnational state elites and the construction of a neoliberal project in Mexico. It argues that transnationalization of Mexican state elites was part of the process that led to the adoption of a neoliberal project since the 1980s and that it entailed an increasingly greater participation in global networks as well as a greater affinity with the standards, practices and norms of transnational organizations and global technocrats. The process was very dynamic, and it unfolded through a set of reforms that gradually, but steadily, transformed the political economy from a state-centered to a market-centered political economy. It launched a group of neoliberal reformers to transnational spaces following a combination of paths that included: (1) interlocking with regional and global corporate networks; (2) participation in regional and global think tanks and policy making bodies; (3) a long and active trajectory in international organizations; and (4) an academic and professional career allowing them to become global experts, acknowledged by the global corporate, financial and technocratic communities as the most qualified and trustworthy negotiators and intermediaries.

scholarly journals The Political Economy of International Organizations

2019 ◽  
pp. 606-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Dreher ◽  
Valentin F. Lang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Political Economy ◽  
Interest Groups ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Final Section ◽  
The Political ◽  
Empirical Reality ◽  
Voter Preferences ◽  
The Impact

The chapter reviews the literature on the political economy of international organizations (IOs). Considering IOs as products of the preferences of various actors rather than monolithic entities, the authors focus on national politicians, international bureaucrats, interest groups, and voters. By looking into the details of decision-making in IOs, the literature shows that a focus on states as the prime actors in IOs overlooks important facets of the empirical reality. Mainly focusing on empirical research, the authors discuss the four main actors involved and examine how they influence, use, and shape IOs. They find that IO behavior often reflects the interests of politicians, bureaucrats, and interest groups, while the impact of voters is limited. The final section reviews proposals for reforms addressing this weak representation of voter preferences.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document