International Organizations as Orchestrators

Abstract

The lecture is based on a paper which develops a conceptual framework for analyzing IO Orchestration, a governance approach which is increasingly used by international organizations (IO) to attain their goals. The paper conceptualizes Orchestration as an indirect and soft mode of governance to be distinguished from traditional governance by regulation which addresses the targets of governance directly through hard governance instruments. It also distinguishes Orchestration from both, governance by self-regulation (which is soft, but direct) and governance through delegation (which is indirect, but hard). Accordingly, IOs act as Orchestrators when they facilitate or coordinate the governance activities of Intermediaries through persuasion and inducement. Based on this conceptualization, the paper develops a framework for analyzing the conditions under which IOs rely on different types of Orchestration.  

Biography of the Speaker

Duncan Snidal is Professor of International Relations at Nuffield College, University of Oxford and University of Chicago. He is editor of International Theory, a journal of international politics, law and philosophy, and editor of the Oxford Handbook of International Relations. Duncan Snidal’s research focuses on international relations with an emphasis on political economy and institutional theory. He has worked on problems of international cooperation, including the role of international institutions such as law and formal organizations, in promoting cooperation. Duncan Snidal is currently working on questions surrounding institutional change and the transnational regulation of business firms.