V + Ü: International Institutions - WS 2026/27

What are international institutions? Why are international institutions established, and with what expectations? What role do international institutions play in world politics? How and why have institutions changed over time? What criteria can be usefully applied to evaluate and critique international institutions? The course examines theories of institutionalism in international relations and their intellectual roots; the emergence, consolidation, and transformation of individual international institutions; their impact on state and intergovernmental actors; and their pathologies, including their failures. It also addresses current issues in international cooperation, such as the argument that institutional landscapes are becoming increasingly fragmented and complex in policy areas like climate, migration, humanitarian aid, health, and food security. Finally, the lecture discusses current challenges facing international institutions, such as funding and legitimacy crises; shifts in power and “emerging powers”; personnel policy; politicization and populism; and the growing influence of non-state actors and their networks. In the accompanying seminar (see below), these topics are explored in greater depth and supplemented with the methodological tools needed to study international institutions.