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Intergovernmental Organizations, Socialization, and Member-State Interest Convergence

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  • Bearce, David H.
  • Bondanella, Stacy

Abstract

This article explores the constructivists' institutional socialization hypothesis, positing that intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) make member-state interests more similar over time, thus promoting interest convergence. We first show how this hypothesis can be tested systematically using relatively new data on dyadic interest similarity and joint structured IGO membership, and then we conduct a series of empirical tests. Our results show strong statistical support for the institutional socialization hypothesis, using both global and more restricted regional samples. We also demonstrate how our results are consistent with a longer-term socialization process and cannot be explained by the short-term effect of institutional information. Finally, we show some limits to the institutional socialization hypothesis. Unstructured IGOs reveal no effect in promoting member-state interest convergence. Following recent theory arguing that great powers in the international system often use IGOs for coercive means, we find that institutional socialization gets weaker as the power imbalance within the dyad grows.Thanks to Chuck Boehmer, Heather Elko McKibben, Kate Floros, Erik Gartzke, Chuck Gochman, Michael Goodhart, Yoram Haftel, Volker Krause, Dan London, Andrew Long, Ed Mansfield, Lisa Martin, Tim Nordstrom, Zeki Sarigil, Meg Shannon, Dan Thomas, Lora Viola, Basak Yavcan, and two anonymous reviewers for data, comments, and/or helpful suggestions.

Suggested Citation

  • Bearce, David H. & Bondanella, Stacy, 2007. "Intergovernmental Organizations, Socialization, and Member-State Interest Convergence," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 61(4), pages 703-733, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:intorg:v:61:y:2007:i:04:p:703-733_07
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    Cited by:

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    3. Olivier Bertrand & Marie-Ann Betschinger & Alexander Settles, 2016. "The relevance of political affinity for the initial acquisition premium in cross-border acquisitions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(10), pages 2071-2091, October.
    4. ., 2013. "The financial crisis and the politics of international tax cooperation," Chapters, in: The Dynamics of Global Economic Governance, chapter 4, pages 81-110, Edward Elgar Publishing.
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    7. Elizabeth M Moore & Luis Alfonso Dau & Santiago Mingo, 2021. "The effects of trade integration on formal and informal entrepreneurship: The moderating role of economic development," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(4), pages 746-772, June.
    8. 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.
    9. Elizabeth M. Moore & Kristin Brandl & Luis Alfonso Dau, 2023. "Intergovernmental organizations, institutional schisms, and business environments," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(2), pages 141-158, June.
    10. Faradj Koliev & Thomas Sommerer & Jonas Tallberg, 2021. "Compliance without coercion: Effects of reporting on international labor rights," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 58(3), pages 494-509, May.
    11. Strebel, Felix, 2011. "Inter-governmental institutions as promoters of energy policy diffusion in a federal setting," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 467-476, January.
    12. Tao Liu & Yuxin Li & Tong Tian, 2019. "Reinterpreting the Connotation of “Sustainability” and the Expansion of Social Policy in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-16, March.
    13. Megan Shannon, 2009. "Preventing War and Providing the Peace?," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 26(2), pages 144-163, April.
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    15. Hyo Won Lee, 2019. "Legalization and dispute settlement benefits: The case of the GATT/WTO," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 479-509, September.
    16. Odelia Oshri & Tamir Sheafer & Shaul R Shenhav, 2016. "A community of values: Democratic identity formation in the European Union," European Union Politics, , vol. 17(1), pages 114-137, March.
    17. Palmer, Mark & Toral, Inci & Truong, Yann & Lowe, Fiona, 2022. "Institutional pioneers and articulation work in digital platform infrastructure-building," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 930-945.
    18. Georg Wenzelburger & Pascal D. König & Frieder Wolf, 2019. "Policy Theories in Hard Times? Assessing the Explanatory Power of Policy Theories in the Context of Crisis," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 97-118, March.
    19. Qi Haixia, 2023. "China’s partners or US allies: the dual status of major European states and their voting behaviour in the UNGA," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 225-250, June.
    20. 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.
    21. David Benjamin Weyrauch & Christoph Valentin Steinert, 2022. "Instrumental or intrinsic? Human rights alignment in intergovernmental organizations," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 89-115, January.

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