Norm Articulation in International Organizations

333 Pages·2017·1.62 MB·English

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Roni Kay Marie O'Dell
University of Denver
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O'Dell, Roni Kay Marie, "Norm Articulation in International Organizations: Democracy, Governance, and
Participation at the UNDP and the World Bank" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 482.
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NORM ARTICULATION IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: GOVERNANCE,
DEMOCRACY, AND PARTICIPATION AT THE UNDP AND THE WORLD BANK

__________

A Dissertation
Presented to
the Faculty of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies

University of Denver
__________

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
__________

by
Roni Kay Marie O’Dell
June 2014
Advisor: Professor Timothy Sisk
©Copyright by Roni Kay Marie O’Dell 2014
All Rights Reserved
Author: Roni Kay Marie O’Dell
Title: NORM ARTICULATION IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:
GOVERNANCE, DEMOCRACY, AND PARTICIPATION AT THE UNDP AND THE
WORLD BANK
Advisor: Professor Timothy Sisk
Degree Date: June 2014
ABSTRACT
Constructivist analyses of international norm articulation assume that norm
articulation happens through the process of international discussion and agreement, yet
such works lack a rigorous analysis of how international organizations articulate norms
for the world internal to the organization. Further, analyses of international organization
norm articulation almost completely ignore the important influence of leadership. This
dissertation analyzes two distinct norms of gender equality and participation in two
international organizations, the United Nations Development Programme and the World
Bank. The theory developed here argues that the leader’s ability to influence norm
articulation is dependent on the organizational culture which reflexively impacts the
influence of the leader. Leadership drivers of norm articulation include major speeches,
influence over and relationship with organizational Executive Boards, and punishment
and reward tactics. In analyzing gender equality and participation, I argue that the two
organizations articulated the norms differently based on different logics of governance.
The World Bank prioritizes government public service delivery efficiency and
effectiveness in achieving development goals, while the UNDP favors civil society
empowerment and participation in decision-making procedures and government policies.
These logics affect the way the leader is able to articulate the norm and impacts the final
articulation into policy and practice for both organizations.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to thank the following people for their help and support while I researched
and wrote this dissertation. My family: Matt Bates, Jenny O’Dell, Steven and Penny
O’Dell, Sean and Sui San-O’Dell, Sheri and Isaiah Centifanto, and José. My committee
members: Timothy D. Sisk, Jack Donnelly, Rachel A. Epstein, Deborah Avant, and
Frédérique Chevillot. My colleagues and friends: Deana Ahmed, Sasha Breger Bush,
Chris Brown, Mandi Donahoe, Mariko Frame, Matt Klick, Geoffrey McDonald, Malliga
Och, Sabina Pavlovska-Hilaiel, Kendra Grimm, Emily Hinga, Sandy Johnson, Martin
Rhodes, Susan Rivera, and Thorsten Spehn. Thanks to the entire faculty and student body
of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies for all their help and support. I am
grateful for monetary support from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, from
the Josef Korbel School of International Studies Student Association, from the University
of Denver Graduate Studies Association, and from the University of Denver Graduate
Studies Department. The appendix lists the formal and informal semi-structured
interviews I conducted for this dissertation research; I sincerely thank every person who
took the time to talk with me.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1
International Organizations and Norms .................................................................. 8
Methods................................................................................................................. 10
Structure of the Chapters ...................................................................................... 13
I: Leaders as Norm Articulators ........................................................................................ 18
A Theory of Norm Articulation ............................................................................ 30
Alternative Explanations ....................................................................................... 40
Application ............................................................................................................ 49
II: Governance for International Development ................................................................. 51
History of Democratic and Economic Liberalism ................................................ 53
Governance Promotion ......................................................................................... 63
Actors, Mechanisms and Modes of Governance .................................................. 89
Democratic Governance versus Good Governance .............................................. 98
III: Organizational Culture in the UNDP and the World Bank ...................................... 100
Why do International Organizations Articulate Norms Differently? ................. 102
The UNDP: A Mission to Provide Technical Assistance ................................... 106
The World Bank: A Mission to Reduce Poverty ................................................ 130
Implications for the UNDP and the World Bank ................................................ 150
IV: UNDP and World Bank Leadership Profiles ............................................................ 153
Why Do Leaders Influence Norms Differently? ................................................. 155
The UNDP Administrators: Leading in Democracy ........................................... 157
The World Bank Presidents: Leading in Government Efficiency ...................... 169
Leadership Influence on Norm Articulation ....................................................... 184
V: Participation ............................................................................................................... 188
Participation as a Governance Norm in Development ........................................ 189
Articulating the Norm of Participation ............................................................... 193
The UNDP’s Democratic Participation .............................................................. 196
The World Bank’s Stakeholder Participation ..................................................... 213
Participation in Action ........................................................................................ 227
VI: Gender Equality ........................................................................................................ 229
Gender Equality as a Governance Norm in Development .................................. 232
Articulating the Norm of Gender Equality ......................................................... 237
The UNDP and Women’s Political Participation ............................................... 239
The World Bank and Women’s Economic Productivity .................................... 255
Gender Equality in Action .................................................................................. 269
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 272
Review of Argument and Findings ..................................................................... 273
Norm Internalization in Organizational Culture ................................................. 276
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Leadership influence on Norm Articulation ....................................................... 279
Policy Implications of the Study ......................................................................... 282
References ....................................................................................................................... 286
Appendices ...................................................................................................................... 316
Appendix I: Interviews ....................................................................................... 316
Appendix II: Data ............................................................................................... 318

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LIST OF TABLES

1.1 Individual and Collective Forces on Norm Articulation 9
1.2 Leadership Style Typology 38
1.3 Espoused Beliefs and Values of UNDP and World Bank Leadership 39
2.1 Good Governance Definition and Keywords 87
2.2 Democratic Governance Definition and Keywords 88
2.3 Governance Keywords 89
2.4 Governance Typologies 94
3.1 UNDP and World Bank Structure 105
3.2 UNDP Committees, Departments and Units on Democratic Governance 109
3.3 UNDP Policies on Democratic Governance 119
3.4 Key Findings from Quantitative Content Analysis of the UNDP 128
3.5 UNDP Funding for Democratic Governance 128
3.6 World Bank Committees, Departments and Units on Good Governance 135
3.7 World Bank Policies on Good Governance 141
3.8 Key Findings from Quantitative Content Analysis of the World Bank 147
3.9 World Bank Funding for Good Governance 148
4.1 UNDP Administrators (History and Background) 157
4.2 World Bank Presidents (History and Background) 170
5.1 UNDP Committees, Departments and Units on Participation 198
5.2 UNDP Policies on Participation 206
5.3 UNDP Funding for Participation 208
5.4 World Bank Committees, Departments and Units on Participation 213
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5.5 World Bank Policies on Participation 219
5.6 World Bank Funding for Participation 224
6.1 UNDP Committees, Departments and Units on Gender Equality 240
6.2 UNDP Policies on Gender Equality 245
6.3 UNDP Funding for Gender Equality 252
6.4 World Bank Committees, Departments and Units on Gender Equality 257
6.5 World Bank Policies on Gender Equality 260
6.6 World Bank Funding for Gender Equality 266

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LIST OF FIGURES

3.1 Quantitative Content Analysis of the UNDP Annual Reports 125
3.2 Quantitative Content Analysis of the Human Development Reports 127
3.3 UNDP Democratic Governance Expenditure as Percentage of Total 130
3.4 Quantitative Content Analysis of the World Bank Annual Reports 145
3.5 Quantitative Content Analysis of the World Development Reports 146
3.6 World Bank Good Governance Expenditure as Percentage of Total 150

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