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International institutions in hard times: how institutional complexity increases resilience

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  • Faude, Benjamin

Abstract

This paper asks how institutional complexity affects the resilience of global governance. By drawing on sociological differentiation theory, it interprets growing levels of institutional complexity as a process of institutional differentiation which allows the “political system of world society” to mirror the increasing complexity of its social environment. More precisely, the paper suggests that growing levels of institutional complexity enhance the resilience of global governance by providing states with a more diverse set of governance tools and by making backup governance tools available. Against this backdrop, it makes two interrelated contributions to the literature on global governance. First, by applying the concept of resilience to global governance, the paper provides the conceptual basis for a novel research agenda on the ability of contemporary global governance to operate under stress. So far, the analytical toolbox of global governance researchers does not contain a concept that enables a theory-driven analysis of international institutions’ ability to facilitate cooperation when confronted with high levels of stress. Second, it offers a sense of how the central structural feature of contemporary global governance—institutional complexity—affects its resilience. With these two interrelated contributions, the paper seeks to start a scholarly conversation on the resilience of contemporary global governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Faude, Benjamin, 2020. "International institutions in hard times: how institutional complexity increases resilience," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 108663, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:108663
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/108663/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pratt, Tyler, 2018. "Deference and Hierarchy in International Regime Complexes," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(3), pages 561-590, July.
    2. Thomas Gehring & Benjamin Faude, 2014. "A theory of emerging order within institutional complexes: How competition among regulatory international institutions leads to institutional adaptation and division of labor," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 9(4), pages 471-498, December.
    3. Zürn, Michael & Buzan, Barry & Albert, Mathias, 2013. "Conclusion: differentiation theory and world politics," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 228-245.
    4. Paul Dragos Aligica & Vlad Tarko, 2014. "Institutional Resilience and Economic Systems: Lessons from Elinor Ostrom’s Work," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 56(1), pages 52-76, March.
    5. Stéphanie C. Hofmann, 2011. "Why Institutional Overlap Matters: CSDP in the European Security Architecture," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 101-120, January.
    6. Henning, C. Randall, 2017. "Tangled Governance: International Regime Complexity, the Troika, and the Euro Crisis," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198801801.
    7. Pratt, Tyler, 2018. "Deference and Hierarchy in International Regime Complexes—ERRATUM," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(3), pages 761-762, July.
    8. Michael Zürn & Benjamin Faude, 2013. "Commentary: On Fragmentation, Differentiation, and Coordination," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 13(3), pages 119-130, August.
    9. Koremenos, Barbara & Lipson, Charles & Snidal, Duncan, 2001. "The Rational Design of International Institutions," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 55(4), pages 761-799, October.
    10. Paul Collier, 2006. "Why the WTO is Deadlocked: And What Can Be Done About It," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(10), pages 1423-1449, October.
    11. Paul F. Steinberg, 2009. "Institutional Resilience Amid Political Change: The Case of Biodiversity Conservation," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 9(3), pages 61-81, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kenneth W. Abbott & Benjamin Faude, 2022. "Hybrid institutional complexes in global governance," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 263-291, April.
    2. Abbott, Kenneth W. & Faude, Benjamin, 2022. "Hybrid institutional complexes in global governance," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 109882, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    international institutions; institutional complexity; resilience; sociological differentiation theory;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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