International institutions in hard times: how institutional complexity increases resilience

Faude, Benjamin (2020) International institutions in hard times: how institutional complexity increases resilience. Complexity, Governance & Networks, 6 (1). 46 - 54. ISSN 2214-2991

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Abstract

This paper asks how institutional complexity affects the resilience of global governance. By drawing on sociological differentiation theory, it interprets growing levels of institutional complexity as a process of institutional differentiation which allows the “political system of world society” to mirror the increasing complexity of its social environment. More precisely, the paper suggests that growing levels of institutional complexity enhance the resilience of global governance by providing states with a more diverse set of governance tools and by making backup governance tools available. Against this backdrop, it makes two interrelated contributions to the literature on global governance. First, by applying the concept of resilience to global governance, the paper provides the conceptual basis for a novel research agenda on the ability of contemporary global governance to operate under stress. So far, the analytical toolbox of global governance researchers does not contain a concept that enables a theory-driven analysis of international institutions’ ability to facilitate cooperation when confronted with high levels of stress. Second, it offers a sense of how the central structural feature of contemporary global governance—institutional complexity—affects its resilience. With these two interrelated contributions, the paper seeks to start a scholarly conversation on the resilience of contemporary global governance.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://ubp.uni-bamberg.de/ojs/index.php/cgn/index
Additional Information:	© 2020 The Author
Divisions:	Government
Subjects:	J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General) J Political Science > JZ International relations H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Date Deposited:	15 Feb 2021 17:03
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 02:27
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/108663

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