©FYNDLAY EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Introduction to International Organizations -
Leiden University IRO. Exam Questions And
Answers (Guaranteed A+)
What are the core of IOs? - answer✔1. At least 3 member states
2. Have activities in several states
3. Formal foundation agreement (treaty, charter, statute)
4. Has a formal structure and bureaucracy
5. Have international legal personality
How are IOs categorized? - answer✔1. Membership (Universal=UN or Limited=EU
2. Competence (General purpose=UN or Limited/issue specific=WTO)
3. Function (program org. = make & set policies or operational org. = executes policy)
4. Degree of authority
- Intergovernmental horizontal authority - pooled sovereignty
- Supranational vertical/hierarchal authority - delegated sovereignty
What are NGOs? - answer✔Private, voluntary organizations whose members are individuals or
associations that come together to achieve a common purpose
What are the 4 types of NGOs? - answer✔- Advocacy NGOs
- Operational NGOs
- For-profit NGOs
1|Page
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- Non-profit NGOs
Three forces of IOs in world politics - answer✔1. Obligations (direct/indirect)
2. Compliance (explicit/implicit)
3. Enforcement (direct/indirect)
Characteristics of IOs - answer✔- Most IGOs are regional
- Number of IOs increased drastically after WW2
- More specific than general-purpose IOs
What is an "international regime?" - answer✔A set of principles, procedures, norms, and rules
that states and other actors accept as authoritative in an issue area within international politics
Example - Gold Standard
What is Global Governance? - answer✔Movement towards political cooperation among
transnational actors, aimed at negotiating responses to issues that affect more than one state
or region.
How did Global Governance emerge? - answer✔1. Growing complexities of global issues
(globalization)
2. Growth of non-state actors
3. Limits of the existing multilateral system
Three views on characteristics of IOs - answer✔1. IOs as Actors
- Legally independent entities with legal personality
- Politically independent through social recognition
2. IOs as Fora
- Physical forum/focal point for debate and negotiation
- Facilitates state-to-state exchange of interests and information
3. IOs as instruments
- As resources in the hand of member states to pursue own interests
2|Page
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- Two-level game: state agrees internationally but blames IO domestically
What are the two great debates? - answer✔1. Why do states cooperate, create, and join IOs
2. What is the role of IOs in world politics?
Role of IOs across different IR theories - answer✔Neorealism - marginal role
Neo-institutionalism - allows reduction of uncertainty and transaction costs between states
Liberalism - divers (from commercial to world peace) for states as plural actors
Constructivism - transformative, independent, bureaucratic authority
Critical/Feminist theories - IOs replicate material/gender-based power structures
What is the "Principle-Agent Theory?" - answer✔Occurs when the agent (IOs) is able to make
decisions on behalf of the principle (states)
Elaborate on the Covenant of the League of Nations - answer✔Purpose - "promote
international cooperation to achieve international peace and security"
Problem - no comprehensive prohibition on use of force in intl. politics, military force permitted
if Council unable to resolve dispute
Instruments for maintaining peace and security - disarmament, peaceful resolution, conflict
prevention
Organs of the League of Nations - answer✔1. Assembly - plenary organ, unanimous decision-
making process
2. Council - executive organ, 6 permanent members (GB, FR, ITL, JAP, USSR, GER) + 4 non-
permanent (elected by Assembly)
3|Page
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3. Permanent Secretariat - led by Secretary-General
4. Permanent Court of Justice - 9 judges, 30 cases until 1940
Committees and Agencies of the League - answer✔- Disarmament Committees
- Permanent Mandates Commission
- International Labor Organization
- League of Nations Health Organization
Why did the League fail? - answer✔1. Failure to resolve Sino-Japanese Manchurian conflict - no
enforcement in open breach of Covenant
2. No collective defense and dilemma of peace vs. disarmament
3. Loss of credibility due to predominance of national interests of powerful states
4. Economic nationalism/protectionism after Great Depression
5. Easy membership withdrawal
Foundation of the UN - answer✔January 1942 - Washington - 26 Allied Powers sign Declaration
by the United Nations
November 1943 - Tehran - "world family of democratic nations"
October 1944 - Proposal of a "general IO" from negotiations among UK, US, USSR, China
April 1945 - United Nations Conference on International Organization, San Francisco
Matters of dispute at UN foundation - answer✔- Role of regional organizations
- Right to veto of UNSC permanent members
4|Page
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Introduction to International Organizations -
Leiden University IRO. Exam Questions And
Answers (Guaranteed A+)
What are the core of IOs? - answer✔1. At least 3 member states
2. Have activities in several states
3. Formal foundation agreement (treaty, charter, statute)
4. Has a formal structure and bureaucracy
5. Have international legal personality
How are IOs categorized? - answer✔1. Membership (Universal=UN or Limited=EU
2. Competence (General purpose=UN or Limited/issue specific=WTO)
3. Function (program org. = make & set policies or operational org. = executes policy)
4. Degree of authority
- Intergovernmental horizontal authority - pooled sovereignty
- Supranational vertical/hierarchal authority - delegated sovereignty
What are NGOs? - answer✔Private, voluntary organizations whose members are individuals or
associations that come together to achieve a common purpose
What are the 4 types of NGOs? - answer✔- Advocacy NGOs
- Operational NGOs
- For-profit NGOs
1|Page
, ©FYNDLAY EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- Non-profit NGOs
Three forces of IOs in world politics - answer✔1. Obligations (direct/indirect)
2. Compliance (explicit/implicit)
3. Enforcement (direct/indirect)
Characteristics of IOs - answer✔- Most IGOs are regional
- Number of IOs increased drastically after WW2
- More specific than general-purpose IOs
What is an "international regime?" - answer✔A set of principles, procedures, norms, and rules
that states and other actors accept as authoritative in an issue area within international politics
Example - Gold Standard
What is Global Governance? - answer✔Movement towards political cooperation among
transnational actors, aimed at negotiating responses to issues that affect more than one state
or region.
How did Global Governance emerge? - answer✔1. Growing complexities of global issues
(globalization)
2. Growth of non-state actors
3. Limits of the existing multilateral system
Three views on characteristics of IOs - answer✔1. IOs as Actors
- Legally independent entities with legal personality
- Politically independent through social recognition
2. IOs as Fora
- Physical forum/focal point for debate and negotiation
- Facilitates state-to-state exchange of interests and information
3. IOs as instruments
- As resources in the hand of member states to pursue own interests
2|Page
, ©FYNDLAY EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- Two-level game: state agrees internationally but blames IO domestically
What are the two great debates? - answer✔1. Why do states cooperate, create, and join IOs
2. What is the role of IOs in world politics?
Role of IOs across different IR theories - answer✔Neorealism - marginal role
Neo-institutionalism - allows reduction of uncertainty and transaction costs between states
Liberalism - divers (from commercial to world peace) for states as plural actors
Constructivism - transformative, independent, bureaucratic authority
Critical/Feminist theories - IOs replicate material/gender-based power structures
What is the "Principle-Agent Theory?" - answer✔Occurs when the agent (IOs) is able to make
decisions on behalf of the principle (states)
Elaborate on the Covenant of the League of Nations - answer✔Purpose - "promote
international cooperation to achieve international peace and security"
Problem - no comprehensive prohibition on use of force in intl. politics, military force permitted
if Council unable to resolve dispute
Instruments for maintaining peace and security - disarmament, peaceful resolution, conflict
prevention
Organs of the League of Nations - answer✔1. Assembly - plenary organ, unanimous decision-
making process
2. Council - executive organ, 6 permanent members (GB, FR, ITL, JAP, USSR, GER) + 4 non-
permanent (elected by Assembly)
3|Page
, ©FYNDLAY EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
3. Permanent Secretariat - led by Secretary-General
4. Permanent Court of Justice - 9 judges, 30 cases until 1940
Committees and Agencies of the League - answer✔- Disarmament Committees
- Permanent Mandates Commission
- International Labor Organization
- League of Nations Health Organization
Why did the League fail? - answer✔1. Failure to resolve Sino-Japanese Manchurian conflict - no
enforcement in open breach of Covenant
2. No collective defense and dilemma of peace vs. disarmament
3. Loss of credibility due to predominance of national interests of powerful states
4. Economic nationalism/protectionism after Great Depression
5. Easy membership withdrawal
Foundation of the UN - answer✔January 1942 - Washington - 26 Allied Powers sign Declaration
by the United Nations
November 1943 - Tehran - "world family of democratic nations"
October 1944 - Proposal of a "general IO" from negotiations among UK, US, USSR, China
April 1945 - United Nations Conference on International Organization, San Francisco
Matters of dispute at UN foundation - answer✔- Role of regional organizations
- Right to veto of UNSC permanent members
4|Page
