International Bureaucrats: Representation, Agency and Power in Global Governance

Session Submission Type: Virtual Full Paper Panel

Session Description

This panel brings together scholars who are opening the black box of international organizations to study the constitution and effects of bureaucratic staffing in global governance. Each of these papers bridges divides between conventional political science, IR and public administration approaches to understand the nature and agency of the “international bureaucrat.” In doing so, the papers examine how the characteristics and relative authority and influence of the leaders and staff in IOs shape organizational decision-making processes, behavior and critical outputs. In turn, the essential traits of organizational staff, including representation of gender, nationalities, and professional expertise, has discernible effects on the perceived legitimacy of IOs and their interaction with external stakeholders, including more populist leaders and coalitions who question the authority of these “global elites”. This panel speaks directly to the APSA 2021 convention theme, of promoting pluralism, with a focus on how bureaucratic representation matters at the global level.

Sub Unit

• Division 24: Public Administration

Individual Presentations

• Representative Bureaucracy in the IMF and World Bank - Mirko Noa Heinzel; Catherine Weaver, University of Texas, Austin

• How Global Boardrooms Shape the World Polity - Alexander Kentikelenis, Bocconi University; Leonard Seabrooke, Copenhagen Business School

• A QCA Analysis of International Public Administration Influence Strategies - Michael W. Bauer, European University Institute; Joern Ege, German Research Institute for Public Administration Speyer

• Covert Participation: How Populists Engage with International Organizations - Allison Carnegie, Columbia University; Richard Clark, Princeton University; Ayse Kaya, Swarthmore College

Chair

• Jonas Tallberg Stockholm University

Discussants

• Dan Honig University College London

• Catherine Weaver University of Texas, Austin