Dissertation

“Allies of Convenience: How NGOs and the United States Cooperate to Control Intergovernmental Organizations.” The University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2023.

While nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) now hold an arguably prominent position in global governance, we know little about why NGO participation varies widely within international institutions and even less about the impact this participation has. This project investigates the determinants and impact of NGO participation in intergovernmental organizations. I use a combination of statistical analyses and qualitative process-tracing based on recently de-classified reports. To supplement analyses across international organizations, I draw from over 1000 archival documents to create an original dataset of NGO participation within the World Bank from 1982 – 2011. I find that NGOs and the United States form an “alliance of convenience” in which each actor independently achieves their aims. When the United States begins to lose control over an organization, American officials work with NGOs to change the organization’s rules and provide nonstate actors increased access to the institution. NGOs act independently after gaining access and dilute the influence of other actors. This dilution generates increased opportunities for political intervention from powerful member states. The result is an increase in American structural power that simultaneously advances the normative interests of NGOs.

Articles

“Preventing Coups and Seeking Allies: The Demand and Supply of Alliances for Coup-Proofing Regimes.” (with Hohyun Yoon) 2024. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 68(4), 730-755. [paper]

Chapters

“Assessing Regional Human Rights Systems: from Convergence to Divergence” (with Daniel J. Whelan) in Why Human Rights Matter in Contemporary International Affairs. 2020. Routledge Studies in Human Rights, Mahmood Monshipouri (ed.). Routledge. [link]