In this superb book, Lucile Maertens and Marieke Louis open a new research agenda on the depoliticization of international organizations. They do it in a way that is analytical, sophisticated, and yet engaging because it is grounded in real empirical puzzles.
Frdric Mrand, University of Montreal, Canada.
This book is the final nail in the functionalist coffin of depoliticized global governance. Thanks to a rich analysis of everyday practices inside international organizations, Louis and Maertens show how little-understood professional and institutional logics lead civil servants and diplomats to portray politics as an obstacle to global governancewhen it is in fact its irreducible condition.
Vincent Pouliot, McGill University, Canada.
The first systematic study on practices and logics of depoliticization within international organizations. A conceptually sophisticated and empirically rich book which sheds new light on international politics.
Guillaume Devin, Sciences Po Paris, France.
Why International Organizations Hate Politics
Building on the concept of depoliticization, this book provides a first systematic analysis of International Organizations (IO) apolitical claims. It shows that depoliticization sustains IO everyday activities while allowing them to remain engaged in politics, even when they pretend not to.
Delving into the inner dynamics of global governance, this book develops an analytical framework on why IOs hate politics by bringing together practices and logics of depoliticization in a wide variety of historical, geographic and organizational contexts. With multiple case studies in the fields of labor rights and economic regulation, environmental protection, development and humanitarian aid, peacekeeping, among others this book shows that depoliticization is enacted in a series of overlapping, sometimes mundane, practices resulting from the complex interaction between professional habits, organizational cultures and individual tactics. By approaching the consequences of these practices in terms of logics, the book addresses the instrumental dimension of depoliticization without assuming that IO actors necessarily intend to depoliticize their action or global problems.
For IO scholars and students, this book sheds new light on IO politics by clarifying one often taken-for-granted dimension of their everyday activities, precisely that of depoliticization. It will also be of interest to other researchers working in the fields of political science, international relations, international political sociology, international political economy, international public administration, history, law, sociology, anthropology and geography as well as IO practitioners.
Marieke Louis is associate professor in political science at Sciences Po Grenoble (University Grenoble-Alpes), member of the PACTE research laboratory, and associate fellow at the Center for international studies, Sciences Po (Paris).
Lucile Maertens is lecturer in political science and international relations at the Institute of Political Studies of the University of Lausanne, member of the CRHIM, and associate fellow at the Center for international studies, Sciences Po (Paris).
Global Institutions
Edited by Thomas G. Weiss
The CUNY Graduate Center, New York, USA
and Rorden Wilkinson
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
About the series
The Global Institutions Series provides cutting-edge books about many aspects of what we know as global governance. It emerges from our shared frustrations with the state of available knowledgeelectronic and print-wisefor research and teaching. The series is designed as a resource for those interested in exploring issues of international organization and global governance. And since the first volumes appeared in 2005, we have taken significant strides toward filling many conceptual gaps.
The books in the series also provide a segue to the foundation volume that offers the most comprehensive textbook treatment available dealing with all the major issues, approaches, institutions, and actors in contemporary global governance. The second edition of our edited work International Organization and Global Governance (2018) contains essays by many of the authors in the series.
Understanding global governancepast, present, and futureis far from a finished journey. The books in this series nonetheless represent significant steps toward a better way of conceiving contemporary problems and issues as well as, hopefully, doing something to improve world order. We value the feedback from our readers and their role in helping shape the on-going development of the series
River Basin Organizations in Water Diplomacy
Edited by Anoulak Kittikhoun and Susanne Schmeier
International Secretariats
Two Centuries of International Civil Servants and Secretariats
Bob Reinalda
Mass Atrocities, the Responsibility to Protect and the Future of Human Rights
If Not Now, When?
Simon Adams
UN Global Compacts
Governing Migrants and Refugees
Nicholas R. Micinski
Why International Organizations Hate Politics
Depoliticizing the World
Marieke Louis and Lucile Maertens
A complete list of titles can be viewed online here: https://www.routledge.com/Global-Institutions/book-series/GI.
Why International Organizations Hate Politics
Depoliticizing the World
Marieke Louis and Lucile Maertens
First published 2021
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2021 Marieke Louis and Lucile Maertens
The right of Marieke Louis and Lucile Maertens to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Louis, Marieke, author. | Maertens, Lucile, author.
Title: Why international organizations hate politics: depoliticizing the world/
Marieke Louis and Lucile Maertens.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2021. |
Series: Global institutions | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020053780 (print) | LCCN 2020053781 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781138607866 (hardback) | ISBN 9780429466984 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: International agencies. | Organizational behavior. |
Political participation. | World politics.
Classification: LCC JZ4850.L68 2021 (print) | LCC JZ4850 (ebook) |
DDC 341.2dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020053780
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020053781
ISBN: 9781138607866 (hbk)
ISBN: 9781032004242 (pbk)
