The Politics of Informal Governance in International Development

Global politics increasingly involves informal governance arrangements between states, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. A policy area that has witnessed dramatic transformation over the past two decades is foreign aid and economic development. In particular, mostly donor governments but also private philanthropists support so-called trust funds, which challenge the established multilateral organizations. Using a new database of the Politics of Informal Governance project, this paper first traces the landscape of institutions in development policy. A particular focus is laid on the interactions between the existing formal institutions and the more informal parternships that are often supported by trust funds. The paper then examines the factors that led states to choose the particular form of arrangement to govern their cooperative efforts. Drawing on qualitative evidence from surveys, agency reports, and related literature, the analysis sheds light on the process by which informal cooperation came about. Furthermore, the analysis identifies the relevant actors that initiated informal governance, while also studying the informal interactions among international institutions. The case study thereby contributes to the emerging literature on the politics of informal governance, identifying new and unexpected mechanisms for the growing use of informal arrangements in global politics.