International Institutions

Research depart­ment II studies inter­national institutions – organizations, regimes and conventions. Inter­national institutions have traditionally been viewed as having an impor­tant function in main­taining peace and security. However, recent studies indicate that the peace­keeping abilities of these institutions vary and that they can even have an ambi­valent effect and enhance the possibility of institutional crises. In view of this, research depart­ment II concentrates on the develop­ment, design, impact, possible change and dis­inte­gration of the inter­national institutions that are charged with facilitating and preserving peace.

In context of the current research program Coercion and Peace (2018), research depart­ment II focusses on the ambi­valent relation­ship between coercion and peace in and through inter­national institutions. Key questions concern the occurrence, institutionalization, and effects of coercion by and in inter­national institutions. Research is aimed at measuring the range of coercive means in inter­national institutions, assessing strategies to legitimize them and analyzing how they impact peace­building.

The focus of the previous research program Just Peace Governance (2011-2017) was on the tension between peace and justice in institutional contexts. On the one hand, research concentrated on competing conceptions of justice in inter­national institutions and how these affect the practices and outcomes of inter­national peace policies. On the other hand, it was analyzed how competing claims for justice can be balanced and which institutional and normative pre­cautions are needed to sustain peace.