Why International Organizations Hate Politics with Dr. Lucile Maertens & Dr. Marieke Louis

Marieke Louis and Lucile Maerten’s book, Why International Organizations Hate Politics: Depoliticizing the World, draws on the extensive literature on functionalism and the related topic of technocracy, on anti-politics and bureaucractic multilateralism, and the wider, crosssectional research on expertise, knowledge and technicization, to systematically analyse and shine new light on the less explored topic of depoliticization. 

Through current and historical case studies they examine behind the facades to reveal the common structures, mechanisms and logics of the depoliticization process at work and point to the unintended consequences and impacts on the very issues that IOs were created to address.

Their argument is carefully constructed and very nuanced and they invite us to consider their whole book and to question everyday practices that may, as they say, “backlash”.

Marieke Louis is Associate Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Sciences Po Grenoble, PACTE, University Grenoble Alpes. Lucile Maertens is Senior Lecturer in Political Science and International Relations at IEP / CRHIM, University of Lausanne.

Resources

• Transcript: http://bitly.ws/sBna 

• Louis, M. & Maertens, L. (2021). Why International Organizations Hate Politics. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9780429466984/international-organizations-hate-politics-marieke-louis-lucile-maertens 

• Finnemore, M. and Barnett, M.N. (2004) Rules for the world: international organizations 
in global politics. Cornell University Press.
• Hay, C. (2007) Why we hate politics (Vol. 5). Polity. 
• Hay, C. (2014) “Depoliticisation as Process, Governance as Practice: What Did the ‘First Wave’ Get Wrong and Do We Need a ‘Second Wave’ to Put it Right?,” Policy and Politics 42, no. 2. 293–311.
• Human Development Index. UNDP. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/humandevelopment-index#/indicies/HDI 
• Keohane, R. O. (1978) “The Functional Theory of Politics. By David Mitrany. (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1975. Pp. xxv 294),” American Political Science Review. Cambridge University Press, 72(2), pp. 805–806. doi: 10.2307/1954263.
• Littoz-Monnet, A. (2017) The politics of expertise in international organizations. London: Routledge.
• Mérand, F. (2021) The Political Commissioner: A European Ethnography. Oxford University Press.
• Müller, B. (ed.) (2013) The gloss of harmony: the politics of policy‐making in multilateral organisations. London. Pluto Press.
• Ruwet, C. (2012) “La RSE négociée: règles du jeu et contenus. Le cas d'ISO 26000,” Négociations 2, no. 18 (2012): 93–108.
• Steffek, J. (2021) International Organization as Technocratic Utopia. Oxford University Press. 
• Steffek J, Holthaus L. (2018) The social-democratic roots of global governance: Welfare internationalism from the 19th century to the United Nations. European Journal of International Relations. 24(1):106-129. doi:10.1177/1354066117703176.

Where to listen to this episode

Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy 

Youtube: https://youtu.be/Vzr7xmBwokU 

Content  

Speakers: Dr. Lucile Maertens & Dr. Marieke Louis

Host: Amy Smith

Editors & Producers: Amy Smith, Alma Rinaldi & Natalie Alexander

Social media designs: Alma Rinaldi & Natalie Alexander  

Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva