When Countries Turn Illiberal: How the OECD Adjusts its Discourse

• In Event: 40447 - Global and Transnational Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 2. Knowledge and Politics I

Abstract

The post-World War II liberal world order has been associated with international governmental organizations (IGOs), which facilitate cooperation, the exchange of ideas, and the diffusion of liberal policy among member countries. Recently, however, this order has faced challenges from the rise of illiberal governments, raising questions about how IGOs - many of which are perceived as Liberal - respond when members contest core Liberal institutions and values. Their response to illiberalism is an important issue. To address this question, we analyze how one prominent Liberal IGO, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), adapts its rhetoric in its Economic Surveys in response to shifts from non-illiberal to illiberal administrations in recipient countries. We focus on how the language of these reports changes as countries encounter illiberal political transitions. Our results demonstrate that, while the language used in the Surveys changed significantly between non-illiberal and illiberal administrations in the cases of the United States and India, such changes were not uniform across countries. Our findings suggest that, while the OECD is far from autonomous in the face of illiberalism, it should not be seen as entirely powerless regarding the content of its Economic Surveys.

Keywords: Illiberalism; Intergovernmental organizations; OECD; country reporting; discourse

Authors

• Marjaana Anneli Rautalin, University of Helsinki

• Eetu Vento, University of Helsinki

• Jukka Syväterä, University of Helsinki