Introduction to International
Organizations - Leiden University IRO
Exam Questions and Answers 100%
Solved
What are the core of IOs? - ✔✔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? - ✔✔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)
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©JOSHCLAY 2024/2025. YEAR PUBLISHED 2024.
,4. Degree of authority
- Intergovernmental horizontal authority - pooled sovereignty
- Supranational vertical/hierarchal authority - delegated sovereignty
What are NGOs? - ✔✔Private, voluntary organizations whose members
are individuals or associations that come together to achieve a common
purpose
What are the 4 types of NGOs? - ✔✔- Advocacy NGOs
- Operational NGOs
- For-profit NGOs
- Non-profit NGOs
Three forces of IOs in world politics - ✔✔1. Obligations (direct/indirect)
2. Compliance (explicit/implicit)
3. Enforcement (direct/indirect)
Characteristics of IOs - ✔✔- Most IGOs are regional
- Number of IOs increased drastically after WW2
- More specific than general-purpose IOs
2
©JOSHCLAY 2024/2025. YEAR PUBLISHED 2024.
,What is an "international regime?" - ✔✔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? - ✔✔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? - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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
©JOSHCLAY 2024/2025. YEAR PUBLISHED 2024.
, 3. IOs as instruments
- As resources in the hand of member states to pursue own interests
- Two-level game: state agrees internationally but blames IO domestically
What are the two great debates? - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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?" - ✔✔Occurs when the agent (IOs) is
able to make decisions on behalf of the principle (states)
4
©JOSHCLAY 2024/2025. YEAR PUBLISHED 2024.
Organizations - Leiden University IRO
Exam Questions and Answers 100%
Solved
What are the core of IOs? - ✔✔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? - ✔✔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)
1
©JOSHCLAY 2024/2025. YEAR PUBLISHED 2024.
,4. Degree of authority
- Intergovernmental horizontal authority - pooled sovereignty
- Supranational vertical/hierarchal authority - delegated sovereignty
What are NGOs? - ✔✔Private, voluntary organizations whose members
are individuals or associations that come together to achieve a common
purpose
What are the 4 types of NGOs? - ✔✔- Advocacy NGOs
- Operational NGOs
- For-profit NGOs
- Non-profit NGOs
Three forces of IOs in world politics - ✔✔1. Obligations (direct/indirect)
2. Compliance (explicit/implicit)
3. Enforcement (direct/indirect)
Characteristics of IOs - ✔✔- Most IGOs are regional
- Number of IOs increased drastically after WW2
- More specific than general-purpose IOs
2
©JOSHCLAY 2024/2025. YEAR PUBLISHED 2024.
,What is an "international regime?" - ✔✔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? - ✔✔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? - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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
©JOSHCLAY 2024/2025. YEAR PUBLISHED 2024.
, 3. IOs as instruments
- As resources in the hand of member states to pursue own interests
- Two-level game: state agrees internationally but blames IO domestically
What are the two great debates? - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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?" - ✔✔Occurs when the agent (IOs) is
able to make decisions on behalf of the principle (states)
4
©JOSHCLAY 2024/2025. YEAR PUBLISHED 2024.
