How and under what conditions does the European Union (EU) shape processes of institution building in other regional organizations?
Interorganizational Diffusion in International Relations: Regional Institutions and the Role of the European Union develops and tests a theory of interorganizational diffusion in international relations that explains how successful pioneer organizations shape institutional choices in other organizations by affecting the institutional preferences and bargaining strategies of national governments. The author argues that Europe's foremost regional organization systematically affects institution building abroad, but that such influence varies across different types of organizations. Mixing quantitative and qualitative methods, it shows how the EU institutionally strengthens regional organizations through active engagement and by building its own institutions at home. Yet, the contractual nature of other regional organizations bounds this causal influence; EU influence makes a distinguishable difference primarily in those organizations that, like the EU itself, rest on an open-ended contract. Evidence for these claims is drawn from the statistical analysis of a dataset on the institutionalization of 35 regional organizations in the period from 1950 to 2017 as well as detailed single and comparative case studies on institutional creation and change in the Southern African Development Community, Mercosur, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Tobias Lenz is Professor of International Relations at the Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany. Previously, he has worked as a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence and an Assistant Professor (Juniorprofessor) at the University of Goettingen and at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA). The research interests of Tobias encompass international organizations and the comparative study of regional integration processes. His ongoing research analyzes the factors that influence the institutional design of regional organizations over time, explores the influence of EU institutions on other regional organizations, and examines the dynamics of legitimation in regional organizations.
Mareike Kleine is an Associate Professor in EU and International Politics at the LSE European Institute.