Conditions of Policy Influence of International Public Administrations

This study investigates how configurations of bureaucratic autonomy, policy complexity and political contestation allow international public administrations (IPAs) to influence policymaking within international organizations. A fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) with 17 carefully selected decision-making processes in four IOs (FAO, WHO, ILO, UNESCO) shows that all international bureaucracies studied can be influential in favourable contexts. Autonomy of will allows IPAs to substantially influence policies, even in adverse contexts. Low autonomy of will, among other factors, explains why IPAs cannot exert influence, while autonomy of action appears largely irrelevant. In-depth post-QCA case studies reveal that stakeholder trust in the administration and the salience of a decision for the entire group of stakeholders are additional explanatory factors. The study provides new insights into the role of bureaucracy beyond the state and exemplifies how research of bureaucratic influence can yield more systematic and generalizable results in a variety of empirical settings.