Dismantling of institutional logics in the peacekeeping complex? – Demand, legitimation and resources as conditions for change

Many approaches to institutional complexity assume that complexity increases the chance of conflicts between different institutional regulations and logic. Moreover, implicit is the notion that the ascendance of a new logic and new actors results in the dismantling of the previously dominant logic because of their incompatibility. We examine this argument by looking at a more recent case of institutional complexity, namely peacekeeping. The peacekeeping complex is a multilevel institutional complex par excellence (Westerwinter et al 2021). However, despite the existence of institutional complexity in peacekeeping, significant conflicts have been avoided in the past due to a relatively clear division of authority between the UN Security Council and regional organizations for peacekeeping missions: Different mission types – peaceful conflict resolution (Chapter VI) or enforcement (Chapter VII) – foresee different authority. More recently, this division has been gradually undermined by the institutionalization of peacekeeping by regional organizations (Jetschke and Schlipphak 2020), which have challenged the authority of the UN and the institutional logic of Chapter VII missions. Drawing theoretically on principal-agent theories of delegation and the institutional logics literature, we theorize the institutional responses of the UN to the challenge of its jurisdictional dominance. We identify two potential outcomes of such a challenge: dismantling or continuity of institutional logics and relate them theoretically to peacekeeping demand, resources, and legitimation. We then argue that the UN’s institutional responses of increasing control over regional peacekeeping by using legitimation (Chapter VII mandates) and resources (financial support for regional organizations) have been an effective strategy of maintaining the UN’s authority and the Chapter VII institutional logic; yet, this logic is dependent on legitimation being effectively matched by control over resources. Where the UN meets a resource-rich regional organization such as NATO, dismantling is the outcome. The paper addresses research gap #3 identified in the workshop theme, i.e. it examines the link between the features of institutional complexes and the strategies that state and non-state actors choose to navigate these complexes.