Program and Papers 2025

Program of the 17th Annual Conference on

The Political Economy of International Organization

January 23-25, 2025

Harvard University

 

Wednesday, January 22

6:00 pm Dinner (optional, at own expense)

Cambridge Common, 1667 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA

 

Thursday, January 23

Location: Tsai Auditorium, (S010) CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA

 

8:45-9:00 am Opening remarks

9:00-10:45 am Session 1: Foreign Aid

Chair:

  • Paper 1: Simone Dietrich (University of Geneva), Gino Pauselli (University of Illinois Urbana Champaign). The Rainbow Ripple Effect: LGBT Advocacy and the Expansion of Foreign Aid. Discussion openers: Jihye Park, Rachel Schoner
  • Paper 2: Shannon Carcelli (University of Maryland). The Cross-Border Spillovers of Aid Sanctions. Discussion openers: Nicolas Bau, Yu Wang
  • Paper 3: Margaret Kenney (University of California, Berkeley). From Aid to Autonomy: How Decreasing Dependency Influences Tax Treaty Renegotiation. Discussion openers: Alicia Chen, Alice Iannantuoni

10:45-11:15 am Group photo and break

11:15-1:00 pm Session 2: Human Rights

Chair:

  • Paper 1: Christoph Steinert (University of Zurich), Valentin Lang (University of Mannheim). The Illiberal Challenge to the Liberal International Order: Evidence from the UN Human Rights Council. Discussion openers: Marcela Ibanez, Lucie Lu
  • Paper 2: Christopher Gahagan (Florida State University). Breaking Barriers: How an International Human Rights Treaty for Women Reduces the Size of the Informal Economy. Discussion openers: Ye June Jung, Phillip Lipscy
  • Paper 3: Ezgi Yildiz (California State University, Long Beach), Umut Yüksel (Universitat Pompeu Fabra). International Courts and Selective Restraint in Times of Backlash. Discussion openers: Dillon Laaker, Ellen Vrålstad

1:00-2:00 pm Lunch

CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA

2:00-3:45 pm Session 3: United Nations

Chair:

  • Paper 1: Anna Meyerrose (Arizona State University), Irfan Nooruddin (Georgetown University). Coordinated Contestation: The Shifting Allegiances of Backsliding States in the UN Human Rights Institutions. Discussion openers: Simon Hug, Johannes Scherzinger
  • Paper 2: Christoph Mikulaschek (Harvard University), Michal Parizek (Charles University). How Media Coverage Shapes the Effect of IOs on Public Attitudes: Quasi-Experimental Evidence on Mass Opinion About Russia’s Leadership in 49 Countries. Discussion openers: Hélène Benveniste, Rodrigo Fagundes Cezar
  • Paper 3: Madeline Fleishman (University of Maryland), Sarah von Billerbeck (University of Reading), Susanna Campbell (American University), Jessica Braithwaite (University of Arizona). Who is the IO? IOs as Intermediaries in Aid Networks. Discussion openers: Sabrina Arias, Noah Zucker

3:45-4:15 pm Break

4:15-6:00 pm Session 4: World Bank

Chair:

  • Paper 1: Anne Jamison (Copenhagen Business School), Rachel Pacheco (Georgetown University), Witold Henisz (University of Pennsylvania), Brian Ganson (Stellenbosch University). When Does Development Finance Fuel Conflict? Insularity in World Bank Group Project Portfolios. Discussion openers: Pietro Bomprezzi, Samuel Brazys
  • Paper 2: Elena McLean (SUNY Buffalo), Yohan Ha (SUNY Buffalo), Wonyong Jung (SUNY Buffalo). Crime and Punishment in Development Banks: The Politics of Procurement Rule Violations and Sanctions Stringency. Discussion openers: Faisal Ahmed, Yifan Guo
  • Paper 3: Richard Clark (University of Notre Dame), Lindsay Dolan (Wesleyan University), Kolby Hanson (Wesleyan University). Individuals in Institutions: Evidence from the World Bank and IMF. Discussion openers: Ayse Kaya, Taylor Jackson

6:00 pm Dinner CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA

              

Friday, January 24

Location: Tsai Auditorium, (S010) CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA

 

9:00-10:45 am Session 5: Trade, Investment, Business

Chair:

  • Paper 1: Shefali Roy (Stockholm University), Lisa Dellmuth (Stockholm University). Norm Internalization Among Business Elites in International Organizations. Discussion openers: Thomas Bernauer, Andrea Vilán
  • Paper 2: Haillie Na-Kyung Lee (Seoul National University), Dennis Quinn (Georgetown University). Escape Tunnels for Foreign Capital: Domestic Capital Controls and BITs. Discussion openers: Mostafa Beshkar, Soo Yeon Kim
  • Paper 3: Tana Johnson (University of Wisconsin-Madison). Merging the GATT and the Havana Charter: How the World Trade Organization Took on Development Tasks. Discussion openers: Samuel Houskeeper, P. Singh

10:45-11:15 am Break

11:15-1:00 pm Session 6: Multilateral Development Banks

Chair:

  • Paper 1: Santi Foncillas (Villanova University), Erasmus Kersting (Villanova University), Christopher Kilby (Villanova University). Dirty Work and the Domestic Politics of Aid. Discussion openers: Silvia Marchesi, Bernhard Reinsberg
  • Paper 2: Tetsekela Anyiam-Osigwe (Princeton University). Following Their Lead? The African Development Bank and the Bretton Woods Institutions. Discussion openers: Mengfan Cheng, Timon Forster
  • Paper 3: Christina Cottiero (University of Utah), Christina Schneider (University of California, San Diego). International Financial Institutions and the Promotion of Autocratic Resilience. Discussion openers: Mirko Heinzel, Marine Roux

1:00-2:00 pm Lunch

CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA

2:00-3:45 pm Session 7: Capital Flows

Chair:

  • Paper 1: Yumi Park (Copenhagen Business School), Aditi Sahasrabuddhe (Brown University). It Takes Two to Swap: The Political Economy of the China’s Bilateral Swap Agreements and the Global Financial Safety Net. Discussion openers: Philippe van Gruisen, Chenyu Tang
  • Paper 2: Bernhard Reinsberg (University of Glasgow), Andreas Kern (Georgetown University). The Unintended Side Effect of the Global Financial Safety Net: Elite Capital Flight. Discussion openers: Fiona Bare, Eric Thai
  • Paper 3: Lauren Ferry (University of Mississippi). Comparing Comparability: Participation in the HIPC Initiative by Non-Paris Club Official Creditors. Discussion openers: Simone Dietrich, Tal Sadeh

3:45-4:15 pm Break

4:30-6:30 pm Poster Session and Reception, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA

Foreign Aid

  • Faisal Ahmed (Wellesley College). Diplomatic Lobbying and Foreign Economic Policy: Evidence from the Trump Presidency. Discussants: Shannon Carcelli, Erasmus Kersting
  • Lula Chen (MIT), Lucie Lu (Princeton University). Going Green: Impact of China’s Domestic Green Policy Shift on its Overseas Renewable Energy Finance Projects. Discussants: Michael J. Tierney, Jennifer Tobin
  • Marine Roux (World Trade Institute, University of Bern). Foreign Aid as a Bargaining Chip? Negotiating Democracy-Related Provisions in Preferential Trade Agreements. Discussants: Samuel Brazys, Gino Pauselli
  • Niklas Hänze (University of Konstanz), Viktoria Jansesberger (University of Konstanz). Who Needs it the Most? Vulnerabilities Towards Tropical Cyclones as Catalysts for Climate Adaptation Aid Allocation. Discussants: Lisa Dellmuth, Miguel Rueda
  • Pietro Bomprezzi (University of Hanover), Mattia Longhi (University of Milan-Bicocca), Silvia Marchesi (University of Milan-Bicocca). Economic Ties and Aid Allocation. Discussants: Christian Ambrosius, Michael Gibilisco
  • Alicia Chen (Stanford University). Electoral Incentives and the Choice of Infrastructure Development Aid. Discussants: Margaret Kenney, Anthony Luongo
  • Nicolas Bau (University of Geneva), Simone Dietrich (University of Geneva), Katharina Fleiner (University of Geneva), Alice Iannantuoni (Université Catholique de Lille). Populism and IO Bureaucratic Power in Development Cooperation: Evidence from the OECD DAC’s Policy Marker System. Discussants: Kolby Hanson, Elena McLean

International Monetary Fund & Multilateral Development Banks

  • Jihwan Jeong (Harvard University). Informing the Public: The IMF’s Role in Gaining Support for Economic Reform. Discussants: Tetsekela Anyiam-Osigwe, Shefali Roy
  • Seowoo Chung (Columbia University), Allison Carnegie (Columbia University), Richard Clark (University of Notre Dame). Global Governance Unbound? Expansion Dynamics in the IMF. Discussants: Merih Angin, Christoph Steinert
  • Richard Clark (University of Notre Dame), Noah Zucker (London School of Economics). The Social Roots of Expertise: Evidence from the IMF. Discussants: Andreas Kern, Randall Stone
  • Yu Wang (Fudan University), Chenyu Tang (Fudan University), Yifan Guo (Fudan University). AIIB: China’s Lending Arm? Discussants: Yohan Ha, Christopher Kilby
  • Ayse Kaya (Swarthmore College), Asli Leblebicioglu (Baruch College). The World Bank’s Climate Finance: Limited Global Public Good Provision. Discussants: Lauren Ferry, Wonyong Jung
  • Cleo O’Brien-Udry (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). Observing Aid Withdrawal. Discussants: Lindsay Dolan, Christopher Kilby

Europe

  • Tal Sadeh (Tel Aviv University), Gal Bitton (Tel Aviv University), Hirshorn Yuval (Tel Aviv University), Benjamin Daßler (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich). Bank-Supervision in the EU and Blame Avoidance in Germany. Discussants: Minju Kim, Christina Schneider
  • Tobias Hofmann (Free University of Berlin), Jim Wagner (Free University of Berlin). Flipflopping in the European Parliament: Electoral and Intra-Party Politics of MEPs’ Migration Speeches. Discussants: Christina Cottiero, Christina Schneider
  • Ye June Jung (University of California, San Diego). Illiberal Human Rights Norms and Trade Nexus: Undermining Western Human Rights-Trade Linkage? Discussants: Zoe Ge, Layna Mosley
  • Philippe van Gruisen (Leiden University). Lobbying and Rotating Leadership in the European Union. Discussants: J. Lawrence Broz, Ryan Brutger

Trade

  • Jihye Park (University of Rochester), Randall Stone (University of Rochester). Firms Lobbying for Preferential Trade. Discussants: J. Lawrence Broz, Haillie Na-Kyung Lee
  • Manfred Elsig (University of Bern), Soo Yeon Kim (National University of Singapore), Jesslene Lee (University of Toronto), Andrew Lugg (University of Nevada, Las Vegas). Hierarchy in Complexity: PTAs and the Regime Complex in Intellectual Property Rights. Discussants: Christina Davis, Jennifer Tobin
  • Rodrigo Fagundes Cezar (Fundação Getulio Vargas). Politics Beyond Institutional Design: The Determinants of Lobbying During the Implementation of Trade Deals. Discussants: Dennis Quinn, Yumi Park
  • Dillon Laaker (London School of Economics). Political Cleavages over Supply Chains: Rules of Origin and Preferential Liberalization. Discussants: B. Peter Rosendorff, Aditi Sahasrabuddhe
  • Mostafa Beshkar (Indiana University), Pao-Li Chang (Singapore Management University), Shenxi Song (Singapore Management University). The Balance of Concessions in Trade Agreements. Discussants: Helen Milner, Tom Willett
  • Eric Thai (University of California, San Diego). The Strategic Use of Tariff Phaseouts in US Free Trade Agreements. Discussants: B. Peter Rosendorff, Tom Willett

United Nations

  • J.P. Singh (George Mason University), Manpriya Dua (George Mason University), Amarda Shehu (George Mason University). Diffusion of Power and Multiplexed Governance: Evolving Networks and Clusters for Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence Infrastructures. Discussants: Alexander Thompson, Jonas Tallberg
  • Marcela Ibanez (University of Zurich). Unintended Consequences of UN Reports: Evidence from a Post-Conflict Context. Discussants: Christopher Gahagan, Christoph Mikulaschek
  • Steffen Eckhard (Zeppelin University), Sebastian Korb (Zeppelin University), Katelyn Cassin (University of Ottawa), Daniel Baumann (Zeppelin University). The Power of Locality: How Local Staff Enhance Performance in International Organizations. Discussants: Elena McLean, Michal Parizek
  • Timothy Passmore (Virginia Military Institute), Megan Shannon (University of Colorado Boulder). The Cost of Peace: Understanding Patterns in State Financial and Personnel Contributions to UN Peace Operations. Discussants: Susanna Campbell, Agustin Casas
  • Rachel Schoner (Tulane University), Andrea Vilán (American University). Giving Children Voice: Institutional Design and Evolution in the United Nations. Discussants: Michal Parizek, Christoph Mikulaschek
  • Sabrina Arias (Lehigh University), Fiona Bare (Princeton University). Proximity Matters: Exploring the Impact of Physical Arrangement on Diplomatic Interactions. Discussants: Axel Dreher, Anna Meyerrose
  • Christian Elliott (Penn State School of International Affairs), Inhwan Ko (University of Nevada, Reno). My Club Runneth Over: Congestion, Embedded Clubs, and the UN Global Compact. Discussants: Ryan Brutger, Anna Meyerrose
  • Jascha Grübel (ETH Zurich), Simon Hug (University of Geneva), Christoph Steinert (University of Zurich), Emotions in International Assemblies. Debating Human Rights in the UN Human Rights Council. Discussants: Susanna Campbell, Saki Kuzushima
  • Johannes Scherzinger (University of Zurich), Anton Peez (University of Frankfurt). Russia and China in UN Security Council Debates on Sanctions, 1995–2020: Attitudinal Shifts on Multilateral Action and the Global Security Order. Discussants: Stephen Chaudoin, Christina Davis
  • Julia Gray (University of Pennsylvania), Minju Kim (Syracuse University). The Determinants of ‘International Men’: Staff Loyalties to the ILO and League of Nations in World War II. Discussants: Stephen Chaudoin, Tana Johnson

Environment and Climate

  • Samuel Houskeeper (Princeton University). Collective Reciprocity and the Failure of Climate Change Mitigation Treaties. Discussants: Allison Carnegie, Katharina Michaelowa
  • Maja Schoch (ETH Zurich), Camille Fournier de Lauriere (ETH Zurich), Thomas Bernauer (ETH Zurich). Large Gaps in Monitoring Urban Air Pollution in the Majority World Due to Adverse Economic and Political Conditions. Discussants: Richard Clark, Carl Vikberg
  • Hélène Benveniste (Stanford University), Andrew Moravcsik (Princeton University), Michael Oppenheimer (Princeton University). Why Would Aspirational Goals Matter? Using the History of Global Environmental Governance to Set Expectations for the Paris Agreement. Discussants: Katharina Michaelowa, Layna Mosley
  • Austin Beacham (Georgia Institute of Technology). Transnational NGOs and Delegated Governance: The Logic of Foreign Protected Area Management. Discussants: Mirko Heinzel, Rachel Schoner

Other International Organizations

  • Jesslene Lee (University of Toronto), Taylor Jackson (University of Toronto), Phillip Lipscy (University of Toronto). Glass Ceilings, Glass Walls, and Glass Cliffs: Gender Bias in the Leadership of International Organizations. Discussants: Mark Copelovitch, Steffen Eckhard
  • Nina Reiners (University of Oslo), Ellen Vrålstad (University of Oslo). Conflicts of Interest: Private Law Firms in Global Governance. Discussants: Witold Henisz, Ezgi Yildiz
  • Timon Forster (University of St. Gallen), Mirko Heinzel (Maastricht University). Why Do Civil Society Organizations Lobby Intergovernmental Organizations? Evidence from a Global Field Experiment. Discussants: Daniel Nielson, Umut Yüksel
  • Saki Kuzushima (Harvard University), Itsuki Umeyama (University of Michigan), Kenneth McElwain (University of Tokyo), Yuki Shiraito (University of Michigan). When International Organizations Help Domestic Leaders Avoid Blame for Unpopular Policies. Discussants: Tana Johnson, Jonas Tallberg
  • Samantha Custer (AidData, William & Mary), Mirko Heinzel (Maastricht University), Bernhard Reinsberg (University of Glasgow). Good Governance and the Legitimacy of International Organizations: Evidence from an Elite Survey in 145 Countries. Discussants: Daniel Nielson, Carl Vikberg
  • Qi Liu (Harvard University). Economies of Scope: The Political Economy of International Organizations’ Mission Creep. Discussants: SoYun Chang, Mark Copelovitch
  • Tobias Lenz (Leuphana University Lüneburg), Henning Schmidtke (German Institute for Global and Area Studies). Against the Tide: The Resilience of Liberal Norms in Regional Organizations. Discussants: Alexander Thompson, Michael J. Tierney

6:30 pm Dinner

Loeb House, 17 Quincy St, Cambridge, MA 

 

Saturday, January 25

Location: Tsai Auditorium, (S010) CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA

 

9:00-10:45 am Session 8: International Monetary Fund

Chair:

  • Paper 1: Anthony Luongo (Emory University). Small State Influence on the IMF Executive Board. Discussion openers: Gal Bitton, Seowoo Chung
  • Paper 2: Merih Angin (Koc University). Sentiments of Power: Executive Board Discontent and IMF Lending Practices. Discussion openers: Allison Carnegie, Jihwan Jeong
  • Paper 3: Randall Stone (University of Rochester), Jihye Park (University of Rochester). Lobbying for Conditionality. Discussion openers: Richard Clark, Inhwan Ko

10:45-11:15 am Break

11:15-1:00 pm Session 9: Foreign Aid II

Chair:

  • Paper 1: Christian Ambrosius (Free University Berlin), Marina Luna Monteiro (Freie Universität Berlin). Aid Allocation and Deportation Enforcement. Discussion openers: Cleo O’Brien-Udry, Mattia Longhi
  • Paper 2: Doris Aja-Eke (Dublin City University), Samuel Brazys (University College Dublin). Aiding or Abetting? A Micro-Evaluation of Foreign Aid and the Relapse of Fatal and Non-Fatal Local Conflict. Discussion openers: Samantha Custer, Axel Dreher
  • Paper 3: Miguel Rueda (Emory University), Michael Gibilisco (California Institute of Technology), Brenton Kenkel (Vanderbilt University), Anthony Luongo (Emory University). Strategic Foreign Aid: A Structural Approach. Discussion openers: Niklas Hänze, Helen Milner

1:00-2:00 pm Lunch

CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA

 

2:00-4:20 pm Session 10: International Organizations

Chair:

  • Paper 1: Jonas Tallberg (Stockholm University), Carl Vikberg (Stockholm University). Autocratic and Democratic Clubs: Regime Sorting in International Cooperation. Discussion openers: Julia Gray, Tobias Hofmann
  • Paper 2: Agustin Casas (CUNEF Universidad), Federico Curci (CUNEF Universidad). From Russia with War: The Russia-Ukraine Conflict and NATO Resurgence. Discussion openers: Timothy Passmore, Megan Shannon
  • Paper 3: SoYun Chang (The Ohio State University), Alexander Thompson (The Ohio State University), Jieun Oh (University of Michigan). Public Support for Restrictive Border Policies during Transnational Health Crises. Discussion openers: Lula Chen, Jesslene Lee
  • Paper 4: Zoe Ge (IE University), Mengfan Cheng (New York University). Can International Organizations Shape Scientific Development? Discussion openers: Henning Schmidtke, Qi Liu

4:20-4:30 pm: Closing Remarks

6:00 pm Dinner (optional, at own expense)

  

CONFERENCE SPONSORS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Weatherhead Center for International Affairs

Provost Fund for Interfaculty Collaboration

Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies