Why national ministries consider the policy advice of international bureaucracies
- Scholars of international relations and public administration widely assume that international bureaucracies, in their role as policy advisors, directly influence countries' domestic policies. Yet, this is not true across the board. Why do some countries closely consider the advice of international bureaucracies while others do not? This article argues that international bureaucracies' standing as sources of expertise is crucial. We tested this argument using data from a unique survey that measured prevalent practices of advice utilization in thematically specialized policy units of national ministries in a representative sample of more than a hundred countries. Our findings show that ministries' perceptions of international bureaucracies' expertise, that is, specialized and reliable knowledge, are the key factor. International bureaucracies influence national ministries directly and without the support of other actors that may also have an interest in the international bureaucracies' policy advice. Our analysis also demonstrates thatScholars of international relations and public administration widely assume that international bureaucracies, in their role as policy advisors, directly influence countries' domestic policies. Yet, this is not true across the board. Why do some countries closely consider the advice of international bureaucracies while others do not? This article argues that international bureaucracies' standing as sources of expertise is crucial. We tested this argument using data from a unique survey that measured prevalent practices of advice utilization in thematically specialized policy units of national ministries in a representative sample of more than a hundred countries. Our findings show that ministries' perceptions of international bureaucracies' expertise, that is, specialized and reliable knowledge, are the key factor. International bureaucracies influence national ministries directly and without the support of other actors that may also have an interest in the international bureaucracies' policy advice. Our analysis also demonstrates that the effects of alternative means of influence, such as third-party pressure and coercion, are themselves partly dependent on international bureaucracies' reputation as experts. The findings presented in this article reinforce the emphasis on expertise as a source of international bureaucracies' influence, and provide a crucial test of its importance.…
Verfasserangaben: | Jana HeroldORCiDGND, Andrea LieseORCiDGND, Per-Olof BuschORCiDGND, Hauke FeilORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqab044 |
ISSN: | 0020-8833 |
ISSN: | 1468-2478 |
Titel des übergeordneten Werks (Englisch): | International studies quarterly : the journal of the International Studies Association |
Untertitel (Englisch): | survey evidence from 106 countries |
Verlag: | Oxford Univ. Press |
Verlagsort: | Oxford |
Publikationstyp: | Wissenschaftlicher Artikel |
Sprache: | Englisch |
Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung: | 2021 |
Erscheinungsjahr: | 2021 |
Datum der Freischaltung: | 27.03.2023 |
Band: | 65 |
Ausgabe: | 3 |
Seitenanzahl: | 14 |
Erste Seite: | 669 |
Letzte Seite: | 682 |
Fördernde Institution: | German Research Council (DFG) as part of the research unit "International Public Administration"German Research Foundation (DFG) [FOR 1745, LI-1947/1-1] |
DDC-Klassifikation: | 3 Sozialwissenschaften / 32 Politikwissenschaft / 320 Politikwissenschaft |
Lizenz (Deutsch): | CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |