Abstract
The second chapter reviews the main theories and academic perspectives applied to the study of international organizations. We start by explaining the different meanings associated with the term international organization. Then we focus on how the role of the international organizations has been conceptualized across the different academic disciplines to highlight the current literature gaps and future research trajectories.
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Notes
- 1.
The Yearbook contains a directory of names and addresses, as well as profiles of organizations (historical and structural information, specifics on activities, events, and publications as well as biographies of important members), www.uia.org
- 2.
Criteria include Type A, B, C.
- 3.
For the full list, see Karns et al. (2010), page 18.
- 4.
The study will focus on the characteristics and the dynamics of this type of international organizations although as suggested by Huntington (1993) comparing studies on public and private international organization could be as much revealing.
- 5.
As of 21st of January 2019 http://www.worldometers.info/united-nations/
- 6.
If we consider all types (A-U) of inter-governmental organizations listed in the Yearbook of International Associations (2018/2019 edition), the total number increases to 5.627. However, this number includes also dissolved or apparently inactive organizations (879), multilateral treaties, and intergovernmental agreements (2.454) and organizations emanating from places, persons, and bodies (930), which escape from the classical definition of international organizations used in this text. Nevertheless, different research works as Bauer and Knill (2007), and Trondal et al. (2013) consider all types of inter-governmental organizations listed in the YIA (types A-U) as “international public organizations.”
- 7.
- 8.
See Rochester (1986).
- 9.
Some call the school of thought rational functionalism instead of liberal institutionalism. Liberal institutionalism is also very close to—but not synonymous with—regime theory and neoliberalism. To complicate matters even further, Robert Keohane, a political scientist largely responsible for the development of liberal institutionalism, considers his ideas part of institutionalism or rational institutionalism, even though those schools disagree with him on certain points.
- 10.
See Wallace and Singer (1970).
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Amici, M., Cepiku, D. (2020). Roles, Types, and Definitions of International Organizations. In: Performance Management in International Organizations. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39472-1_2
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