International Organizations (IOs) are central platforms for global cooperation, but their influence and effectiveness are shaped by power dynamics. Who holds power in IOs, how is it exercised and which (formal and informal) means does it take? This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical and empirical foundations needed to analyze power in global governance. In the first part, students will explore foundational concepts and competing theories of power in IR. The second part then focuses on the mechanisms through which power operates in IOs. We examine the formal institutional arrangements (e.g., voting rules, representation formulas or mandates) and the informal structures like bureaucratic influence. In the final section, we will apply the analytical tools to understand how different actors wield power in and through IOs (e.g., the United States as hegemonic power, China as rising power, Russia as revisionist power and regional coalitions such as the BRICS) for which participants prepare presentations. By the end of the course, students will be able to critically assess the structural conditions, strategic choices and normative claims shaping power dynamics in IOs. They will also be equipped to analyze current debates around institutional reform, legitimacy and the evolving role of multilateralism.
