THEORIZING INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS An Organizational Theory of International Institutions

International institutions research has emphasized the organization but focused on sociological and real political responses while neglecting other approaches. This leaves a fundamental question unanswered: Does the organizational architecture of international institutions affect their ability to carry out their stated mission and the value they provide to actors or states? To that end, we put forth an organization typology. We argue three main points in this paper: First, the organization of institutions matter; organizational architecture provides the mechanisms for institutions to pursue their objectives. Second, not only does organizational architecture matter in carrying out the institutional mandate, but it is a determining variable of whether institutions will successfully execute their mission. Third, the structure of an organization will determine what states seek from an institution. In other words, institutions provide a valuable good or service, which can be determined by the organizational structure of the institution.