International Organization

Is the history and function of IOs better captured by realist or institutionalist logic?

In the course we have looked at several theoretically-informed mechanisms of how IOs work, the history of their formation, their institutional design, and their empirical records.

Utilizing those ideas and empirics, make a case for a realist or institutionalist (liberal and/or constructivist) interpretation of the role of IOs in attempting to provide international order.

You will likely find elements of both in your analysis and should honestly assess those elements. I am not looking for everything to conform to only one approach. But, looking across three institutions and their empirical records you almost assuredly will find the logic of one approach is more prevalent than the other.

This essay allows you to show me several things:

• Your understanding of the major theories and their causal mechanisms as they apply to IOs.

• Your understanding of the similarities and differences in the actual institutions in terms of their origins, institutional design, and empirical record.

• Your ability to synthesize this knowledge and present it in a tight, rigorous comparison.

• Your ability to apply this knowledge in order to support an argument.

• 1500 words maximum (does not include citations)