Explaining Policy Norm Adoption by International Organizations

55 Pages Posted: 26 Oct 2017

See all articles by Jonas Tallberg

Jonas Tallberg

Stockholm University - Department of Political Science

Magnus Lundgren

University of Gothenburg - Department of Political Science

Thomas Sommerer

Stockholm University, Department of Political Science

Theresa Squatrito

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of International Relations; University of Oslo - Department of Public and International Law

Date Written: September 1, 2017

Abstract

Recent decades have witnessed the emergence, spread, and adoption of a broad range of new policy norms in global governance, among them sustainable development, gender equality, and human security. While existing scholarship can tell us a lot about the specific trajectories of each of these norms, we know little about the broader patterns and sources of norm adoption by international organizations (IOs). This paper offers the first comparative large-N analysis of the spread and adoption of policy norms among IOs. Theoretically, we develop a diffusion argument, focused on prior adoption of norms among peers of IOs, while also assessing the influence of independent factors. Empirically, the paper maps and explains the spread of eight policy norms across 27 IOs over the time period 1980 to 2015 based on a unique dataset. The analysis establishes that variation in norm adoption across IOs is explained mainly by a combination of three factors: the fit between an IO’s policy mandate and the norm; prior adoption of a norm by IOs in the same issue area; and prior adoption of a norm by IOs with overlapping memberships. Norm adoption clearly involves diffusion, but also strong issue area determinacy. These findings have important implications for research on norms, diffusion, and IOs.

Keywords: Global Governance; International Organization; International Institution; Norm; Policy; Diffusion

Suggested Citation

Tallberg, Jonas and Lundgren, Magnus and Sommerer, Thomas and Squatrito, Theresa, Explaining Policy Norm Adoption by International Organizations (September 1, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3059442 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3059442

Jonas Tallberg (Contact Author)

Stockholm University - Department of Political Science ( email )

Universitetsvägen 10
Stockholm, Stockholm SE-106 91
Sweden

Magnus Lundgren

University of Gothenburg - Department of Political Science ( email )

Box 711
Göteborg, S-405 30
Sweden

Thomas Sommerer

Stockholm University, Department of Political Science ( email )

Universitetsvägen 10F
Stockholm, SE-106 91
Sweden

Theresa Squatrito

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of International Relations ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United States

University of Oslo - Department of Public and International Law ( email )

P.O. Box 6706 St. Olavs plass
N-0130 Oslo
Norway

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