The Origins of Informality

Why the Legal Foundations of Global Governance are Shifting, and Why It Matters

Charles B. Roger

The first book-length account of informal international organizations, offering a new way of thinking about these increasingly important institutions
Systematically tests a new theory of informality and a novel account of how major changes within the domestic political arenas of powerful states are shifting the legal foundations of global governance
Offers comprehensive data on informal organizations and new insights into some of the most important institutions governing the global political economy

The Origins of Informality

Why the Legal Foundations of Global Governance are Shifting, and Why It Matters

Charles B. Roger

Description

The legal foundations of global governance are shifting. In addition to traditional instruments for resolving cross-border problems, such as treaties and formal international organizations, policy-makers are turning increasingly to informal agreements and organizations like the Group of Twenty, the Financial Stability Board, and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. A growing number of policy-makers view such weakly-legalized organizations as promising new tools of governance, arguing that informal bodies are faster and more flexible than their formal counterparts, and better-suited to the complex problems raised by deepening interdependence. Yet, equally, political scientists have puzzled over these international organizations. At present, we still know relatively little about these bodies, why they have become so important, and whether they are indeed capable of addressing the immense challenges faced by the global community.

In The Origins of Informality, Charles Roger offers a new way of thinking about informal organizations, presents new data revealing their extraordinary growth over time and across regions, and advances a novel theory to explain these patterns. In contrast with existing approaches, he locates the drivers of informality within the internal politics of states, explaining how major shifts within the domestic political arenas of the great powers have projected outwards and reshaped the legal structure of the global system. Informal organizations have been embraced because they allow bureaucrats in powerful states to maintain autonomy over their activities, and can help politicians to circumvent domestic opponents of their foreign policies. Drawing on original quantitative data, interviews, and archival research, the book analyzes some of the most important institutions governing the global economy, showing how informality has helped domestic actors to achieve their narrow political goals-even when this comes at the expense of the institutions they eventually create.

Ultimately, Roger claims, the shift towards informality has allowed the number of multilateral institutions to rapidly increase in response to global problems. But, at the same time, it has coincided with a decline in their quality, leaving us less prepared for the next global crisis.

The Origins of Informality

Why the Legal Foundations of Global Governance are Shifting, and Why It Matters

Charles B. Roger

List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
1. The Move to Informality
2. Conceptualizing and Mapping Informality
3. Theorizing Informal Organizations
4. Analyzing the Origins of Informality
5. Present at the Creation: Establishing the IMF and GATT
6. Keeping Governments at Bay: The BCBS and IOSCO
7. Clashing Over Competition: ICN Versus WTO
8. The Implications of Informality
Appendix: Building the Database of Informal International Organizations
References
Index

The Origins of Informality

Why the Legal Foundations of Global Governance are Shifting, and Why It Matters

Charles B. Roger

Author Information

Charles B. Roger is an Assistant Professor at the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). His research explores the transformations occurring in our system of global governance and how these are shaping--for better or worse--our ability to address cross-border problems. Roger's research has been published in journals such as Global Policy, International Interactions, International Studies Quarterly, International Studies Review, and the Review of International Organizations. His recent books include The Comparative Politics of Transnational Climate Governance (with Liliana Andonova and Thomas Hale) and Transnational Climate Change Governance (with Harriet Bulkeley et al.).

The Origins of Informality

Why the Legal Foundations of Global Governance are Shifting, and Why It Matters

Charles B. Roger

Reviews and Awards

"Charles Roger shows that the number and proportion of informal international organizations have increased rapidly recently, and provides strong evidence for an innovative explanation focusing on the autonomy of regulatory agencies and increases in domestic constraints. The Origins of Informality is an important book" -- Robert O. Keohane, Professor Emeritus of International Affairs, Princeton University

"Informal international organizations have grown in number and prominence in recent decades, from G20 summits to regulatory forums and climate change clubs. Charles Roger provides the most comprehensive investigation to date of this important sector of global governance, explaining why states create these organizations and evaluating their contribution to the effectiveness and accountabiliy of global collective action" -- Miles Kahler, , Distinguished Professor, School of International Service, American University

"This impressive volume advances a theory of informal governance that places domestic politics at its center. Aside from developing a compelling theory, Roger introduces one of the first systematic measures of informal governance, and hereby contributes to a broad effort in IR to put the study of global governance on a sound empirical footing. The Origins of Informality is essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of global governance" -- Liesbet Hooghe, W.R. Kenan Distinguished Professor, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill