Lily Pine
Pronouns: She/her
Research Mentor(s): Kristina Daugirdas
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Law / Law
Program:
Authors:
Session: Session 5: 2:40 pm – 3:30 pm
Poster: 22
Abstract
This research presents a new, comprehensive database profiling over 400 intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) established since 1945, effectively capturing a more holistic view of worldwide IGOs beyond the traditionally studied North American and European entities. This project probes into the structure and legal features of these organizations to illuminate the systematic similarities and differences between IGOs established by democratic states and those established by authoritarian states, seeking to answer questions like “Are the most prominent organizations–like the United Nations or the World Bank–actually representative of the universe?” and “Do IGOs have enough in common to be regulated by a single set of international rules?” The research is currently in the data collection stage, primarily utilizing the Yearbook of Intergovernmental Organizations. A key task involves correlating member states with their involvement in specific IGOs, subsequently categorizing them based on their democratic or authoritarian leanings as per the polity score scale. Preliminary analysis suggests unexpected similarities between democratic and authoritarian IGOs, a conclusion predicted to prevail post-data clean-up. Understanding the diverse characteristics and limitations of IGOs in light of their different memberships and purposes, ranging from geographical and linguistic confines to shared resources or technologies, is paramount to this research. Analyzing the range of legal features among these IGOs bridges the gap in the conceptualization of IGOs between international law and international relations scholars. In light of the historic focus of international lawyers on a small fraction of IGOs, this research responds to the need for a more comprehensive view of IGOs globally. It has the potential to enhance understanding of political trends such as democratic backsliding and the history of authoritarian government interactions with legal systems.
