Table of contents

The course is connected to the following study programs

Teaching language

English.

Recommended previous knowledge

The BA-level course ST-205, Institutionalism and transnational governance, provides a solid foundation for studying International Organizations (IOs) and their administration at the interface of the emerging discipline International Public Administration (IPA) and International Relations (IR). Since all literature and instruction are in English, proficiency in the language is a recommended prerequisite.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

  • identify the rise and expansion of International Organizations (IOs)
  • recognize key characteristics of IOs and their bureaucracies
  • identify and use key theories of IPA/IR
  • analyze patterns of coordination and power-sharing in IOs
  • critically assess legitimacy concerns and performance challenges faced by IOs

Contents

Against this background, this course places international organizations and their secretariats and executive branches center stage emphasizing their role as hubs of action capacity, institutional knowledge, and organizational memory. This course introduces the International Public Administration (IPA) which seeks to grasp the bureaucratic wing of international organizations and their influence on global public policymaking. International bureaucracies constitute the institutional mechanism through which global policy is both diffused, prepared and sometimes implemented. Should we expect international bureaucracies to be fundamentally different from national ones? If so, in what ways? Existing research has primarily focused on Western-style organizations such as the European Commission, the UN Secretariat, and the OECD Secretariat. In addition to these institutions, this course also explores IPAs from the Global South, including the African Union and ECOWAS Commissions as well as the ASEAN Secretariat.

In the first part of the course, we conceptualize, map, and theorize the fields of IPA and IR. In the second part of the course, we will empirically examine different actors and policymaking in international organizations. In the third part, we will discuss some core issues related to like legitimacy and accountability. This part will also include a student workshop focused on crisis and problem solving. Finally, we will take stock and look ahead at the field of both IPA.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures, seminars, and group discussions. Estimated workload is 270 hours.

Examination requirements

Approved participation in group work (simulation exercise) and student presentations (based on policy memos). Further information will be given in Canvas.

Examinations

6-hour individual written school exam. Graded A-F.

Student evaluation

The person responsible for the course decides, in cooperation with student representative, the form of student evaluation and whether the course is to have a midway or end of course evaluation in accordance with the quality system for education, chapter 4.1.

Admission Requirement if given as a free-standing course

Same as for the Master programme in political science and management.
Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Oct. 15, 2026 6:43:27 PM