IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/revint/v20y2025i2d10.1007_s11558-024-09556-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Illiberal regimes and international organizations

Author

Listed:
  • Christina Cottiero

    (Department of Political Science at the University of Utah)

  • Emilie M. Hafner-Burton

    (University of California)

  • Stephan Haggard

    (University of California)

  • Lauren Prather

    (University of California)

  • Christina J. Schneider

    (University of California)

Abstract

Illiberal regimes have become central players in international organizations. In this introduction to the special issue, we provide a unified framework for understanding their effects. We start by outlining the theoretical foundations of this work, focusing first on why regime type matters for international cooperation. We then show how differing memberships and decision-making processes within international organizations affect the influence illiberal regimes can wield, the activities they undertake, and the impact that they have on domestic political outcomes. Collectively and individually, the contributions to this special issue broaden the theoretical literature on illiberal regimes in international organizations and produce novel data about how they are implicated in the politics and operations of multilateral and regional IOs. This research has important implications for how democracies can and should cope with the challenges to global governance that arise from illiberal regimes.

Suggested Citation

  • Christina Cottiero & Emilie M. Hafner-Burton & Stephan Haggard & Lauren Prather & Christina J. Schneider, 2025. "Illiberal regimes and international organizations," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 231-259, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:revint:v:20:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11558-024-09556-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s11558-024-09556-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11558-024-09556-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11558-024-09556-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carnegie, Allison & Clark, Richard & Zucker, Noah, 2024. "Global Governance under Populism: The Challenge of Information Suppression," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt2572w5s7, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    2. Pevehouse, Jon & Russett, Bruce, 2006. "Democratic International Governmental Organizations Promote Peace," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(4), pages 969-1000, October.
    3. Anna M. Meyerrose, 2024. "Building strong executives and weak institutions: How European integration contributes to democratic backsliding," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 307-343, April.
    4. Axel Dreher & Peter Nunnenkamp & Rainer Thiele, 2008. "Does US aid buy UN general assembly votes? A disaggregated analysis," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 136(1), pages 139-164, July.
    5. Hafner-Burton, Emilie M & Schneider, Christina J, 2023. "The International Liberal Foundations of Democratic Backsliding," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt0965w1jb, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    6. Grumbach, Jacob M., 2023. "Laboratories of Democratic Backsliding," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 117(3), pages 967-984, August.
    7. Tobias Böhmelt & Ulrich Pilster, 2015. "The Impact of Institutional Coup-Proofing on Coup Attempts and Coup Outcomes," International Interactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(1), pages 158-182, January.
    8. Sergei Guriev & Daniel Treisman, 2022. "Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03916510, HAL.
    9. Vreeland,James Raymond & Dreher,Axel, 2014. "The Political Economy of the United Nations Security Council," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521740067, November.
    10. Pevehouse, Jon C., 2002. "Democracy from the Outside-In? International Organizations and Democratization," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(3), pages 515-549, July.
    11. Hyde, Susan D. & Marinov, Nikolay, 2014. "Information and Self-Enforcing Democracy: The Role of International Election Observation," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 68(2), pages 329-359, April.
    12. Tansey, Oisin & Koehler, Kevin & Schmotz, Alexander, 2017. "Ties to the rest: autocratic linkages and regime survival," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 50(9), pages 1221-1254.
    13. Gleditsch, Kristian Skrede & Ward, Michael D., 2006. "Diffusion and the International Context of Democratization," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(4), pages 911-933, October.
    14. Weiss, Jessica Chen & Wallace, Jeremy L., 2021. "Domestic Politics, China's Rise, and the Future of the Liberal International Order," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 75(2), pages 635-664, February.
    15. Binder, Martin & Lockwood Payton, Autumn, 2022. "With Frenemies Like These: Rising Power Voting Behavior in the UN General Assembly," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(1), pages 381-398, January.
    16. Stone, Randall W., 2008. "The Scope of IMF Conditionality," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 62(4), pages 589-620, October.
    17. Bernhard Zangl & Frederick Heußner & Andreas Kruck & Xenia Lanzendörfer, 2016. "Imperfect adaptation: how the WTO and the IMF adjust to shifting power distributions among their members," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 171-196, June.
    18. Liesbet Hooghe & Gary Marks, 2015. "Delegation and pooling in international organizations," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 305-328, September.
    19. Jonas Tallberg & Thomas Sommerer & Theresa Squatrito, 2016. "Democratic memberships in international organizations: Sources of institutional design," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 59-87, March.
    20. Maurits J. Meijers & Harmen van der Veer, 2019. "MEP Responses to Democratic Backsliding in Hungary and Poland. An Analysis of Agenda‐Setting and Voting Behaviour," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(4), pages 838-856, July.
    21. Mansfield, Edward D. & Pevehouse, Jon C., 2006. "Democratization and International Organizations," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(1), pages 137-167, January.
    22. Oka, Natsuko, 2009. "Ethnicity and Elections under Authoritarianism: The Case of Kazakhstan," IDE Discussion Papers 194, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    23. Daniela Donno, 2013. "Elections and Democratization in Authoritarian Regimes," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 57(3), pages 703-716, July.
    24. Gandhi,Jennifer, 2008. "Political Institutions under Dictatorship," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521897952, November.
    25. Steinberg, Richard H., 2002. "In the Shadow of Law or Power? Consensus-Based Bargaining and Outcomes in the GATT/WTO," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(2), pages 339-374, April.
    26. Hafner-Burton, Emilie M. & Mansfield, Edward D. & Pevehouse, Jon C.W., 2015. "Human Rights Institutions, Sovereignty Costs and Democratization," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 45(1), pages 1-27, January.
    27. Hafner-Burton, Emilie M. & Hyde, Susan D. & Jablonski, Ryan S., 2018. "Surviving Elections: Election Violence, Incumbent Victory and Post-Election Repercussions," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 48(2), pages 459-488, April.
    28. Bermeo, Sarah Blodgett, 2016. "Aid Is Not Oil: Donor Utility, Heterogeneous Aid, and the Aid-Democratization Relationship," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 70(1), pages 1-32, January.
    29. Simon Hug & Richard Lukács, 2014. "Preferences or blocs? Voting in the United Nations Human Rights Council," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 83-106, March.
    30. Stone, Randall W., 2004. "The Political Economy of IMF Lending in Africa," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 98(4), pages 577-591, November.
    31. Steinert-Threlkeld, Zachary C., 2017. "Spontaneous Collective Action: Peripheral Mobilization During the Arab Spring," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 111(2), pages 379-403, May.
    32. Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, 2016. "Arab agency and the UN project: the League of Arab States between universality and regionalism," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(7), pages 1219-1233, July.
    33. Hafner-Burton, Emilie M. & Hyde, Susan D. & Jablonski, Ryan S., 2014. "When Do Governments Resort to Election Violence?," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(1), pages 149-179, January.
    34. Checkel, Jeffrey T., 2001. "Why Comply? Social Learning and European Identity Change," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 55(3), pages 553-588, July.
    35. Maria J. Debre, 2022. "Clubs of autocrats: Regional organizations and authoritarian survival," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 485-511, July.
    36. Kaya, Ayse & Kilby, Christopher & Kay, Jonathan, 2021. "Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as an instrument for Chinese influence? Supplementary versus remedial multilateralism," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    37. Lauren L. Ferry & Emilie M. Hafner-Burton & Christina J. Schneider, 2020. "Catch me if you care: International development organizations and national corruption," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 767-792, October.
    38. Bermeo, Sarah Blodgett, 2011. "Foreign Aid and Regime Change: A Role for Donor Intent," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 2021-2031.
    39. Börzel, Tanja A. & Risse, Thomas, 2009. "Revisiting the Nature of the Beast – Politicization, European Identity, and Postfunctionalism: A Comment on Hooghe and Marks," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 39(1), pages 217-220, January.
    40. Moravcsik, Andrew, 2000. "The Origins of Human Rights Regimes: Democratic Delegation in Postwar Europe," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 54(2), pages 217-252, April.
    41. Lewis, Jeffrey, 2005. "The Janus Face of Brussels: Socialization and Everyday Decision Making in the European Union," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 59(4), pages 937-971, October.
    42. Hug, Simon & König, Thomas, 2002. "In View of Ratification: Governmental Preferences and Domestic Constraints at the Amsterdam Intergovernmental Conference," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(2), pages 447-476, April.
    43. Hafner-Burton, Emilie M., 2005. "Trading Human Rights: How Preferential Trade Agreements Influence Government Repression," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 59(3), pages 593-629, July.
    44. Ahmed, Faisal Z., 2012. "The Perils of Unearned Foreign Income: Aid, Remittances, and Government Survival," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 106(1), pages 146-165, February.
    45. Julia Gray, 2009. "International Organization as a Seal of Approval: European Union Accession and Investor Risk," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(4), pages 931-949, October.
    46. Mona Lyne & Daniel Nielson & Michael Tierney, 2009. "Controlling coalitions: Social lending at the multilateral development banks," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 4(4), pages 407-433, December.
    47. Daniel Blake & Autumn Payton, 2015. "Balancing design objectives: Analyzing new data on voting rules in intergovernmental organizations," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 377-402, September.
    48. Lake, David A. & Martin, Lisa L. & Risse, Thomas, 2021. "Challenges to the Liberal Order: Reflections on International Organization," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 75(2), pages 225-257, February.
    49. Arriola, Leonardo R. & Devaro, Jed & Meng, Anne, 2021. "Democratic Subversion: Elite Cooptation and Opposition Fragmentation," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 115(4), pages 1358-1372, November.
    50. Sonja Priebus, 2022. "The Commission's Approach to Rule of Law Backsliding: Managing Instead of Enforcing Democratic Values?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(6), pages 1684-1700, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cottiero, Christina & Hafner-Burton, Emily & Haggard, Stephan & Prather, Lauren & Schneider, Christina J, 2024. "Illiberal Regimes and International Organizations," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt2bx6b98g, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    2. Cottiero, Christina & Schneider, Christina J, 2025. "International Financial Institutions and the Promotion of Autocratic Resilience," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt63z4m8qw, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    3. Hafner-Burton, Emilie M & Pevehouse, Jon C.W. & Schneider, Christina J, 2023. "Enlightened Dictators? Good Governance In Autocratic International Organizations," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt99h5z506, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    4. Lauren L. Ferry & Emilie M. Hafner-Burton & Christina J. Schneider, 2020. "Catch me if you care: International development organizations and national corruption," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 767-792, October.
    5. Emilie Hafner-Burton & Jon C. W. Pevehouse & Christina J. Schneider, 2025. "Good governance in autocratic international organizations," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 323-356, June.
    6. Maria J. Debre, 2022. "Clubs of autocrats: Regional organizations and authoritarian survival," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 485-511, July.
    7. Schlumberger, Oliver, 2021. "Puzzles of political change in the Middle East: Political liberalisation, authoritarian resilience and the question of systemic change," IDOS Discussion Papers 5/2021, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    8. Christodoulos Kaoutzanis & Paul Poast & Johannes Urpelainen, 2016. "Not letting ‘bad apples’ spoil the bunch: Democratization and strict international organization accession rules," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 399-418, December.
    9. Songying Fang & Erica Owen, 2011. "International institutions and credible commitment of non-democracies," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 6(2), pages 141-162, July.
    10. Christina L. Davis & Tyler Pratt, 2021. "The forces of attraction: How security interests shape membership in economic institutions," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 903-929, October.
    11. Thomas Sommerer & Theresa Squatrito & Jonas Tallberg & Magnus Lundgren, 2022. "Decision-making in international organizations: institutional design and performance," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 815-845, October.
    12. Timothy McKeown, 2009. "How U.S. decision-makers assessed their control of multilateral organizations, 1957–1982," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 269-291, September.
    13. Christopher Marcoux & Johannes Urpelainen, 2013. "Non-compliance by design: Moribund hard law in international institutions," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 163-191, June.
    14. Stiansen, Øyvind & Naurin, Daniel & Michailidou, Asimina & Riganova, Adriana, 2023. "Enforcing the Rule of Law in the EU: Effects on Public Opinion," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt2jz3g89m, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    15. Axel Dreher & Vera Eichenauer & Kai Gehring & Vera Z. Eichenauer, 2013. "Geopolitics, Aid and Growth," CESifo Working Paper Series 4299, CESifo.
    16. Axel Dreher & Valentin F. Lang & Sebastian Ziaja, 2017. "Foreign Aid in Areas of Limited Statehood," CESifo Working Paper Series 6340, CESifo.
    17. Axel Dreher & Jingke Pan & Christina Schneider, 2025. "Foreign Aid and Targeted Political Violence," CESifo Working Paper Series 11970, CESifo.
    18. Strand, Jonathan R. & Zappile, Tina M., 2015. "Always Vote for Principle, Though You May Vote Alone: Explaining United States Political Support for Multilateral Development Loans," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 224-239.
    19. Takaharu, Ishii, 2024. "Interactions between natural resources and false democracy?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    20. Sommerer, Thomas & Squatrito, Theresa & Tallberg, Jonas & Lundgren, Magnus, 2021. "Decision-making in international organizations: institutional design and performance," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 111834, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:revint:v:20:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11558-024-09556-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.