IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/glopol/v15y2024is2p5-17.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Power shifts in international organisations: China at the United Nations

Author

Listed:
  • Sebastian Haug
  • Rosemary Foot
  • Max‐Otto Baumann

Abstract

The People's Republic of China is central to current debates about power shifts in international organisations, but a systematic and comprehensive assessment of China‐related shifts has been missing. As Special Issue introduction, this article contributes to addressing this gap and examines whether, how and to what extent China‐related power shifts have unfolded at the United Nations (UN) over the last two decades or so. We define power shifts as changes in the ability of actors to shape others' capacities to act and outline a framework that builds on Barnett and Duvall's four power types of compulsory, institutional, structural and productive power. Drawing from Special Issue contributions, our analysis covers empirical insights from the UN's three main pillars – peace and security, development and human rights – and paints an uneven picture. Despite continuing Western dominance, China is mobilising more compulsory power means than two decades ago. Chinese attempts to enact institutional power have also increased but mostly unfold in multilateral niches and remain cautious. While China's structural power position has expanded, China‐related effects in productive power have so far remained limited and scattered. We conclude with a combined assessment of changes across power types and discuss research and policy implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Sebastian Haug & Rosemary Foot & Max‐Otto Baumann, 2024. "Power shifts in international organisations: China at the United Nations," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(S2), pages 5-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:glopol:v:15:y:2024:i:s2:p:5-17
    DOI: 10.1111/1758-5899.13368
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13368
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1758-5899.13368?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. 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.
    2. Goddard, Stacie E., 2018. "Embedded Revisionism: Networks, Institutions, and Challenges to World Order," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(4), pages 763-797, October.
    3. Weinlich, Silke & Baumann, Max-Otto & Lundsgaarde, Erik & Wolff, Peter, 2020. "Earmarking in the multilateral development system: Many shades of grey," IDOS Studies, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), volume 101, number 101, July.
    4. Barnett, Michael & Duvall, Raymond, 2005. "Power in International Politics," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 59(1), pages 39-75, January.
    5. Parizek, Michal & Stephen, Matthew D., 2021. "The long march through the institutions: Emerging powers and the staffing of international organizations," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 56(2), pages 204-223.
    6. Wenting Meng, 2024. "Is power shifting? China's evolving engagement with UNESCO," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(S2), pages 97-109, May.
    7. Andreas Kruck & Bernhard Zangl, 2020. "The Adjustment of International Institutions to Global Power Shifts: A Framework for Analysis," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 11(S3), pages 5-16, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yipeng Liu, 2024. "Asia’s distinctive role in nurturing regional cooperation, managing global risks, and cultivating responsible leaders for sustainable development," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(4), pages 511-518, September.
    2. Baumann, Max-Otto & Novoselova, Anna & Surasky, Javier & Schönrock, Philipp, 2024. "The Group of 77 and global dialogue in the United Nations General Assembly," IDOS Discussion Papers 13/2024, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).

    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. Max‐Otto Baumann & Sebastian Haug & Silke Weinlich, 2024. "From developing country to superpower? China, power shifts and the United Nations development pillar," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(S2), pages 51-61, May.
    2. Steven Langendonk & Edith Drieskens, 2024. "Chinese power in the World Heritage Committee: From learning the game to shaping the rules," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(S2), pages 110-120, May.
    3. Xueying Zhang & Yijia Jing, 2024. "A mixed funding pattern: China's exercise of power within the United Nations," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(S2), pages 121-134, May.
    4. Sandra Lavenex & Omar Serrano & Tim Büthe, 2021. "Power transitions and the rise of the regulatory state: Global market governance in flux," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(3), pages 445-471, July.
    5. Rafael Mesquita, 2024. "The only living guerrillero in New York: Cuba and the brokerage power of a resilient revisionist state," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 611-639, September.
    6. Susanne Lütz, 2021. "Global–Regional Realignments in Trade, Finance and Development: Introduction to the Special Issue," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(S4), pages 5-13, May.
    7. Phillip Y. Lipscy, 2020. "How Do States Renegotiate International Institutions? Japan’s Renegotiation Diplomacy Since World War II," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 11(S3), pages 17-27, October.
    8. Jacob D. Petersen-Perlman & Itay Fischhendler, 2018. "The weakness of the strong: re-examining power in transboundary water dynamics," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 275-294, April.
    9. Woll, Cornelia, 2015. "Politics in the interest of capital: A not-so-organized combat," MaxPo Discussion Paper Series 15/2, Max Planck Sciences Po Center on Coping with Instability in Market Societies (MaxPo).
    10. Dragan Pavlićević, 2019. "Structural power and the China-EU-Western Balkans triangular relations," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 453-468, December.
    11. Marten, Robert & Hanefeld, Johanna & Smith, Richard D., 2023. "How states engage in and exercise power in global health: Indonesian and Japanese engagement in the conceptualization of Sustainable Development Goal 3," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 321(C).
    12. Friel, Sharon & Townsend, Belinda & Fisher, Matthew & Harris, Patrick & Freeman, Toby & Baum, Fran, 2021. "Power and the people's health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    13. Rosemary Foot, 2024. "Reining in a liberal UN: China, power shifts, and the UN's peace and security pillar," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(S2), pages 18-28, May.
    14. Zürn, Michael, 2020. "Unknown effects of social innovations," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 12(3), pages 471-480.
    15. Yiping Cai, 2024. "Between co‐optation and emancipation: Chinese women's NGOs and power shifts at the United Nations," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(S2), pages 148-158, May.
    16. Simon Hartmann & Thomas Lindner & Jakob Müllner & Jonas Puck, 2022. "Beyond the nation-state: Anchoring supranational institutions in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(6), pages 1282-1306, August.
    17. Barnes Kelsey M. & Wilmarth Arthur E., 2016. "Explaining Variations in Bailout Policies: A Review of Cornelia Woll’s The Power of Inaction," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 6(1), pages 5-30, March.
    18. Stephen, Matthew D., 2014. "Rising powers, global capitalism and liberal global governance: A historical materialist account of the BRICs challenge," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 20(4), pages 912-938.
    19. Michael W. Manulak, 2024. "The sources of influence in multilateral diplomacy: Replaceability and intergovernmental networks in international organizations," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 579-610, September.
    20. Thiemann Matthias, 2016. "The Power of Inaction or Elite Failure? A Comment on Woll’s “The Power of Inaction”," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 6(1), pages 31-45, March.

    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:bla:glopol:v:15:y:2024:i:s2:p:5-17. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lsepsuk.html .

    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.