Informal IGOs as mediators of power shifts

In an era defined by shifting distributions of power, states are not only pushing for change in formal international organizations, they are increasingly using informal intergovernmental organizations (IIGOs) to mediate change. Why and how do states use IIGOs – institutions without a treaty or secre...

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Main Authors: Vabulas, F, Snidal, D
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020
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author Vabulas, F
Snidal, D
author_facet Vabulas, F
Snidal, D
author_sort Vabulas, F
collection OXFORD
description In an era defined by shifting distributions of power, states are not only pushing for change in formal international organizations, they are increasingly using informal intergovernmental organizations (IIGOs) to mediate change. Why and how do states use IIGOs – institutions without a treaty or secretariat – to manage global power shifts? IIGOs are useful for states on both sides of the power shift. Established powers use IIGOs for system management through ‘collaboration’ and strengthening the ‘hegemonic consensus’ to preserve their institutional privileges while adapting to changing power realities. Rising powers use IIGOs to redistribute through ‘power bargaining’ and ‘rhetorical coercion’ to strengthen their institutional roles without overly disrupting the current order. Established and rising powers also work together to use IIGOs for integrative strategies including ‘cooptation’ and ‘principled persuasion’, creating a mutually beneficial solution that accommodates both increased demands but also mounting responsibilities. IIGOs help states manage power transitions by providing flexible institutional arrangements that facilitate bargaining without freezing outcomes in permanent institutions while the power distribution evolves. We provide case vignettes of the G7 (system management) in the early phase of a power shift, BRICS (redistributive strategies) in the middle phase, and the G20 (integrative strategies) in the later phase.
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spelling oxford-uuid:09919d32-1a84-4afd-baf5-a28ee5cc4e092022-11-17T07:36:27ZInformal IGOs as mediators of power shiftsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:09919d32-1a84-4afd-baf5-a28ee5cc4e09EnglishSymplectic ElementsWiley2020Vabulas, FSnidal, DIn an era defined by shifting distributions of power, states are not only pushing for change in formal international organizations, they are increasingly using informal intergovernmental organizations (IIGOs) to mediate change. Why and how do states use IIGOs – institutions without a treaty or secretariat – to manage global power shifts? IIGOs are useful for states on both sides of the power shift. Established powers use IIGOs for system management through ‘collaboration’ and strengthening the ‘hegemonic consensus’ to preserve their institutional privileges while adapting to changing power realities. Rising powers use IIGOs to redistribute through ‘power bargaining’ and ‘rhetorical coercion’ to strengthen their institutional roles without overly disrupting the current order. Established and rising powers also work together to use IIGOs for integrative strategies including ‘cooptation’ and ‘principled persuasion’, creating a mutually beneficial solution that accommodates both increased demands but also mounting responsibilities. IIGOs help states manage power transitions by providing flexible institutional arrangements that facilitate bargaining without freezing outcomes in permanent institutions while the power distribution evolves. We provide case vignettes of the G7 (system management) in the early phase of a power shift, BRICS (redistributive strategies) in the middle phase, and the G20 (integrative strategies) in the later phase.
spellingShingle Vabulas, F
Snidal, D
Informal IGOs as mediators of power shifts
title Informal IGOs as mediators of power shifts
title_full Informal IGOs as mediators of power shifts
title_fullStr Informal IGOs as mediators of power shifts
title_full_unstemmed Informal IGOs as mediators of power shifts
title_short Informal IGOs as mediators of power shifts
title_sort informal igos as mediators of power shifts
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