F1GD 4140 - International Organizations and Public Policy

***UPDATED for 2026/27***

Few policy areas today are not regulated, formally or informally, by one or more international organizations (IOs). During the course of this seminar, we ask: (i) whether and how these organizations influence the public policy choices of sovereign states; (ii) whether and how member states are in turn able to influence IO policy; and (iii) whether and how these relationships are changing in an increasingly fractured international order.

How do IOs influence public policy in their member states and beyond? We examine mechanisms such as hand-tying, coercion, learning, assessment, standard setting, and the spreading of norms, to name a few. We think about how different kinds of IOs use different tools to influence policy: e.g., regional vs. international IOs; large IOs vs. smaller organizations and NGOs; IOs with larger vs. narrower mandates.

How do member states influence IO policy? We examine how states can use their provision of financial contributions, staff, and participation in IO subsidiary bodies and voting procedures to affect IO policy. We think about the impact of more or less “powerful” states in egalitarian vs. non-egalitarian organizations.

How have these relationships changed as the international order is increasingly fractured? We consider how the rise of populist, anti-elitist, and anti-internationalist sentiments in member states impact their relationship with IOs; and, in turn, how organizations respond to the erosion of consensus behind international norms.

We pay particular attention to how these mechanisms play out in the specific policy areas of global health, environment, development and humanitarian cooperation, gender equality, and human rights.

In addition to covering these topics substantively, this course has two broad methodological goals. First, we practice a scientific approach to studying political phenomena. We think critically about how scholars in empirical social sciences theorize answers to research questions, derive testable hypotheses from those theories, and how they use evidence to test such propositions. We cover a host of theories and perspectives that allow us to think generally about these relationships. Second, we develop skills geared toward translating social science findings into public policy prescriptions. We learn to consume and produce policy briefs that identify the relevant literature on a given issue, the policy options available, and their evaluations in the relevant context.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will:

• Develop a nuanced understanding of the mechanisms that link international organizations to states’ public policy decisions, and vice versa.
• Acquire the skills to connect the findings of academic literature in political science and public policy to policy prescriptions on relevant issues in global governance.
• Strengthen their ability to consume both qualitative and quantitative research and evidence-based impact evaluations.

Professional Skills

By the end of the course, students will:

• Become proficient in interpreting qualitative and quantitative policy evaluations, familiarize themselves with commonly-used data formats and sources, and efficiently consume policy briefs
• Practice effective policy communication skills by producing a policy brief that concisely summarizes the importance of a given issue, the policy options related to it, and makes recommendations about possible ways forward.

This course is designed for first-semester MA students. No specific prerequisites.

The instructor will provide oral feedback on the Weekly Reading Questions on a weekly basis, in class,by addressing the most important asked questions during the class meeting. She will provide oral feedback to group presentations to the presenting students at the end of the class meeting during which the presentation took place; presentation grades will be released after at least one third of students have had the chance to present. The instructor will release the Article Quiz grades within 10

days of the quiz. She will provide written feedback and a grade to the policy briefs at the end of the semester’s exam period.

• Weekly Reading Questions (10%): students submit 2-3 questions or comments about the assigned reading before the class meeting.
• Group Presentation (25%): in groups of 3-4 students, students give a 10-minute presentation of an assigned reading during a class meeting.
• Article Quiz (25%): in class, halfway through the semester, students answer a series of multiple-choice questions about an article that was assigned to read at home at least two weeks prior. This assesses their understanding of a peer-reviewed article in the field of international organization / public policy.
• Policy Briefs (40%): by the end of the semester, students produce a policy brief on a topic of their choosing.

In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

• Reading and Preparation for Class: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester