International Organizations
Introduction
An international organization can be defined, following the International Law Commission, as an 'organization established by a treaty or other instrument governed by international law and possessing its own international legal personality'. International organizations generally have States as members, but often other entities can also apply for membership. They both make international law and are governed by it. Yet, the decision-making process of international organizations is often 'less a question of law than one of political judgement'.
This Research Guide is intended as a starting point for research on International Organizations. It provides the basic legal materials available in the Peace Palace Library, both in print and electronic format. Handbooks, leading articles, bibliographies, periodicals, serial publications and documents of interest are presented in the Selective Bibliography section. Links to the PPL Catalogue are inserted. The Library's systematic classification → Public international law and subject heading (keyword) International Organizations are instrumental for searching through the Catalogue. Special attention is given to our subscriptions on databases, e-journals, e-books and other electronic resources. Finally, this Research Guide features links to relevant websites and other online resources of particular interest.
New titles
As we are right in the middle of moving to a new library system, it is not yet possible to automatically collect new titles for this Research Guide.Bibliography
Manuals
- Alvarez, J.E., The Impact of International Organizations on International Law, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2017.
- Archer, C., and L. Marsden, International Organizations, London, Routledge, 2015.
- Bĕlohlávek, A.J., and N. Rozehnalová (eds.), International Organisations, The Hague, Lex Lata, 2018.
- Cogan, J. K. (eds.), (et. al.), The Oxford Handbook of International Organizations, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016.
- David, E., Droit des Organisations Internationales, Bruxelles, Bruylant. 2016.
- Delanty, G. (ed.), Routledge Handbook of Cosmopolitan Studies, London, Routledge, 2017.
- Klabbers, J., Advanced Introduction to the Law of International Organizations, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015.
- Klabbers, J.A.M., An Introduction to International Institutional Law, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2009.
- Lagrange, E. and J.M. Sorel (eds.), Droit des Organisations Internationales, Paris, LGDJ, 2013.
- Peters, C., Praxis internationaler Organisationen - Vertragswandel und völkerrechtlicher Ordnungsrahmen, Berlin, Springer, 2016.
- Scharf, M.P. and P.R. Williams (eds.), Law of International Organizations: Problems and Materials, Durham, NC, Carolina Academic Press, 2013.
- Trifunovska, S., The Law of International Organizations : Documents and Cases, The Hague, Eleven International Publishing, 2015.
- White, N.D., The Law of International Organisations, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2017.
- Wojcikiewicz Almeida, P. and R. Zelesco Barretto, Direito das Organizações Internacionais : Casos e Problemas,
Rio de Janeiro, Editora FGV, 2014.
Relevant books
- Abbott, K.W. (et al.) (eds.), International Organizations as Orchestrators, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015.
- Alvarez, J. E., The Impact of International Organizations onInternational Law, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2017.
- Barros, A. S., International Organizations and Member State Responsibility : Critical Perspectives, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2017.
- Block-Lieb, S., and T.C. Halliday, Global Lawmakers : International Organizations in the Crafting of World Markets, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2017.
- Blokker, N., and N. Schrijver (eds.), Immunity of International Organizations, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2015.
- Boisson de Chazournes, L., Interactions Between Regional and Universal Organizations : a Legal Perspective, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2017.
- Conceição-Heldt, E., da (et al.) (eds.), Internationale Organisationen : Autonomie, Politisierung, interorganisationale Beziehungen und Wandel, Baden-Baden, Nomos, 2015.
- Ferstman, C., International Organizations and the Fight for Accountability : The Remedies and Reparations Gap, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2017.
- Furtak, F. T., Internationale Organisationen : Staatliche und Nichtstaatliche Organisationen in der Weltpolitik, Wiesbaden, Springer VS, 2015.
- Gasbarri, L., "The Dual Legality of the Rules of International Organizations", In: International Organizations Law Revieuw, Vol. 14, No. 1 (2017), pp. 87-119.
- Magliveras, K.D., "Legal Aspects of Competition between International Organizations", In: Jalloh, C. C., and O. Elias (eds.), Shielding Humanity: Essays in International Law in Honour of Judge Abdul G. Koroma, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2015, pp. 242-259.
- Niezen, R., and M. Sapignoli (eds.), Palaces of Hope: the Anthropology of Global Organizations, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2017.
- Pataut, É., "Les Organisations Internationales et le Droit International Privé: Droit International Privé Universel et Droit International Privé Régional", In: Vellano, M. (ed.), Il Futuro delle Organizzazioni Internazionali: Prospettive Giuridiche = L'Avenir des Organisations Internationales: Perspectives Juridiques : XIX Convegno, Courmayeur, 26-28 giugno 2014 , Napoli, Editoriale Scientifica, 2015.
- Patel, B.N., Responsibility of International Organisations Towards Other International Organisations: Law and practice of the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Union (EU) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Lucknow, Eastern Book Company, 2013.
- Ragazzi, M. (ed.), Responsibility of International Organizations : Essays in Memory of Sir Ian Brownlie, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2013.
- Ryngaert, C., Judicial Decisions on the Law of International Organizations, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016.
- Virzo, R., and I. Ingravallo (eds.), Evolutions in the Law of International Organizations, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2015.
- Yi-Chong, X., and P. Weller, The Working World of International Organizations : Authority, Capacity, Legitimacy, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2018.
- Zaum, D. (ed.), Legitimating International Organizations, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2013.
Relevant articles
- Klabbers, J., "Theorizing International Organizations", In: Orford, A. and F. Hoffmann (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Theory of International Law, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 618-634.
- Krieger, J. (ed.), The Oxford Companion to International Relations, New York, Oxford University Press, 2014.
- "Le Droit des Organisations Internationales: Modèle et Moteur du Droit International", In: Archiv des Völkerrechts, Vol. 53, afl. 3, 2015, pp. 390-399.
- Ryngaert, C., "The Responsibility of Member States of International Organisations: Concluding Observations", International Organizations Law Review, Vol. 12, Issue 2, 2015, pp. 502-517.
- Webb, P., "Treaties and International Organizations: Uneasy Analogies", In: Tams, C.J. (et al.) (eds.), Research Handbook on the Law of Treaties, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 2014.
- Wessel, R. A. and Dekker, I.F., "Identities of States in International Organisations", In: International Organizations Law Review, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2015, pp. 293-318.
- Wood, M., "Do International Organizations Enjoy Immunity under Customary International Law?", In: Blokker, N. and N. Schrijver (eds.), Immunity of International Organizations, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2015
Periodicals, serial publications
- Code des organisations internationales
- Columbia University Studies in International Organization
- International Organization vol. 1 (1947) - vol. 62 (2008)
- International Organization E-journal (1947) - ...
- International Organizations Law Review
- Legal Aspects of International Organization
- Yearbook of International Organizations
Bibliographies
New titles
Librarian's choice
Harrington, A.R., International Organizations and the Law, Abingdon, Routledge, 2018.
View this title in our discovery serviceDelving into the law and meaning of international organizations, this book addresses the laws relating to international organizations, their undertakings, and the ways in which specific international organizations function and interact with one another.Assuming little background knowledge of international law, the book brings together key issues in international law and the history of international organizations in a cohesive manner, providing readers with a clear understanding of international organizations' law in context. It addresses topics such as:organization functions and structuremembership and membership powersthe rights of international organizationsdispute settlement in international organizationstermination of an international organizationWritten in an accessible and engaging way, this book is ideal reading for students new to the Law of International Organizations and as a reference for those active in fields impacted by international organizations.
Pease, K.K.S., International Organizations: Perspectives on Global Governance, New York, Routledge, 2019.
View this title in our discovery serviceDrawing on mainstream and critical theoretical approaches, International Organizations offers a comprehensive examination of international organizations’ political and structural role in world politics. This text details the types and activities of international organizations and provides students with the conceptual tools needed to evaluate their effectiveness. Surveying key issue areas from international and human security to trade and the environment, International Organizations looks at present and future possibilities for global governance from a broad range of perspectives.
Yi-chong, X., and P. Weller, The Working World of International Organizations : Authority, Capacity, Legitimacy, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2018.
View this title in our discovery serviceInternational organizations (IOs) matter. This book uncovers the regular working world of IOs, examining whether, to what extent, and how these 'global governing bodies' can act independently of the will of states. This book explores this issue by asking who or what shapes their decisions; how and when decisions are made; how players interact within an IO; and how the interactions vary across IOs.
The Working World of International Organizations examines three working groups in the higher echelons of IOs - state representatives, as proxy of states, serving in the Executive Boards or General Councils, chief officers of IOs, and the staff of the permanent secretariat. The book demonstrates that none of them are unified; in each there are contested ideas about strategy and appropriate projects, and analyses their interactions to explain who is able to shape or influence decisions. Six representative IOs are studied to identify the relevant critical determinants that shape the behaviour of players. The volume explores how these players have an impact over three dilemmas that are common to all IOs: priority and agenda setting, financing, and the centralization or decentralization of operations.
Chukwuemeke Okeke, E., Jurisdictional Immunities of States and International Organizations, New York, Oxford University Press, 2018.
View this title in our discovery serviceThis book covers the relationship between the jurisdictional immunities of States and international organizations, addressing their similarities and dissimilarities. Their relationship with diplomatic immunity is also examined. It considers that the immunity of international organizations was historically conceived in terms of State immunity. The major aim of this book is to clarify the conceptual confusion that has often marred the understanding of the law of the, different but interrelated, jurisdictional immunities of both States and international organizations. The approach is to holistically analyze and synthesize select and relevant opinions of international and national courts. To achieve this, the book focuses more on what the law is than on what it should be. An understanding of the law is more useful to a practitioner than a criticism of it. The book is not an exegesis on everything immunity. The jurisdictional immunities of heads of State and of diplomats are beyond the scope of this book, and are only tangentially examined. The book concludes by making the case that the jurisdictional immunities of States and international organizations are not only sustainable but also necessary for international relations and cooperation. The author intends to position the book to be of use both to scholars and practicing lawyers and legal advisers in government and international organizations, as well as to lawyers whose practice concerns issues and laws of privileges and immunities.
F.L., , Bordin,The Analogy Between States and International Organizations, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2018.
View this title in our discovery serviceThe book investigates how an analogy between States and international organizations has influenced and supported the development of the law that applies to intergovernmental institutions on the international plane. That is best illustrated by the work of the International Law Commission on the treaties and responsibility of international organizations, where the Commission for the most part extended to organizations rules that had been originally devised for States. Revisiting those codification projects while also looking into other areas, the book reflects on how techniques of legal reasoning can be - and have been - used by international institutions and the legal profession to tackle situations of uncertainty, and discusses the elusive position that international organizations occupy in the international legal system. By cutting across some foundational topics of the discipline, the book makes a substantive contribution to the literature on subjects and sources of international law.
Yi-chong, X., and P. Weller, The Working World of International Oorganizations : Authority, Capacity, Legitimacy, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2018.
View this title in our discovery serviceInternational organizations (IOs) matter. This book uncovers the regular working world of IOs, examining whether, to what extent, and how these 'global governing bodies' can act independently of the will of states. This book explores this issue by asking who or what shapes their decisions; how and when decisions are made; how players interact within an IO; and how the interactions vary across IOs.
The Working World of International Organizations examines three working groups in the higher echelons of IOs - state representatives, as proxy of states, serving in the Executive Boards or General Councils, chief officers of IOs, and the staff of the permanent secretariat. The book demonstrates that none of them are unified; in each there are contested ideas about strategy and appropriate projects, and analyses their interactions to explain who is able to shape or influence decisions. Six representative IOs are studied to identify the relevant critical determinants that shape the behaviour of players. The volume explores how these players have an impact over three dilemmas that are common to all IOs: priority and agenda setting, financing, and the centralization or decentralization of operations.
Abbott, K.W. (et. al.) (eds.), International Organizations as Orchestrators, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015.
View this title in our discovery serviceInternational Organizations as Orchestrators reveals how IOs leverage their limited authority and resources to increase their effectiveness, power, and autonomy from states. By 'orchestrating' intermediaries – including NGOs – IOs can shape and steer global governance without engaging in hard, direct regulation. This volume is organized around a theoretical model that emphasizes voluntary collaboration and support. An outstanding group of scholars investigate the significance of orchestration across key issue areas, including trade, finance, environment and labor, and in leading organizations, including the GEF, G20, WTO, EU, Kimberley Process, UNEP and ILO. The empirical studies find that orchestration is pervasive. They broadly confirm the theoretical hypotheses while providing important new insights, especially that states often welcome IO orchestration as achieving governance without creating strong institutions. This volume changes our understanding of the relationships among IOs, nonstate actors and states in global governance, using a theoretical framework applicable to domestic governance.
Archer, C., International Organizations, London, Routledge, 2015.
View this title in our discovery service"What is the role of international organizations in the international political system? The fourth edition of the Clive Archer widely used textbook continues to provide students with an introduction to international organizations, exploring their rise and development, and accounts for their significance in the modern international political system. International Organizations fourth edition has been fully updated to take into account the considerable developments in the field since the last edition was published in 2001. It continues to offer an unique concise yet comprehensive approach offering students an accessible and manageable introduction to this core part of international relations. An authoritative guide to the literature about international organizations, it also provides advice on further reading"
Virzo, R. and I. Ingravallo (eds.), Evolutions in the Law of International Organizations, Leiden, Brill Nijhoff, 2015.
View this title in our discovery serviceBecause of their increasing prevalence and diversity, International Organizations (IOs) are one of the most striking legal phenomena in contemporary international law. Evolutions in the Law of International Organizations, is a collection of essays discussing the ever-changing nature of IOs. It covers all the many considerable practical evolutions in the law of, offers a discussion of theoretical issues and proposes solutions to many crucial problems related to these institutional developments. The book explores controversial institutional issues arising from recent developments in the complex international practice of IOs and includes contributions about the definition of IOs, the role of "soft" IOs and regional IOs, the reformation of international financial institutions, and the liability of IOs for their actions, among others.
Dent, D.W. and L.C. Wilson, Historical Dictionary of Inter-American Organizations, Lanham; Toronto; Plymouth, UK, Scarecrow Press, 2014.
View this title in our discovery serviceThis updated second edition of Historical Dictionary of Inter-American Organizations covers the history of through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 400 hundred cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Inter-American Organizations.
Hurd, I., International Organizations: Politics, Law, Practice, Cambridge; New York, Cambridge University Press, 2014.
View this title in our discovery serviceInternational organizations are at the heart of many global issues today. This new textbook looks at the leading international organizations and explains how they both shape and are shaped by international politics. The book examines three themes: the legal obligations that give international organizations their powers; the mechanisms that elicit compliance by their member states; and the practices of enforcement in the organization. Each chapter shows how international organizations work in practice and the interactions between them and their member states. This fresh text provides a comprehensive understanding of what international organizations do, how and why they do it, and the challenges they face.
