Pathologies of a Different Kind: Dysfunctional Interactions between International Organizations

Abstract This article develops the concept of “interorganizational pathologies” as an extension Michael N. Barnett and Martha Finnemore's work on bureaucratic pathologies. Adopting open system perspective, I argue that dysfunctional interactions may arise between international organizations (IOs) even when their cooperation is fairly institutionalized. To advance this line reasoning, examine International Monetary Fund (IMF or Fund) World Bank (or Bank). Evidence from more than ninety stakeholder interviews indicates have been marked by what Finnemore call “insulation.” In particular, two opposing types interorganizational insulation common in context Fund–Bank relations: (1) groupthink, sustained intellectual decoupling IOs outside world; (2) silence, (temporary) communicative disruption them. finding partly puzzling because while we expect IMF–World to produce groupthink given organizations’ highly similar worldviews, would them prevent silence established protocols for continuous cross-organizational information sharing. The analysis sheds fresh light promises pitfalls cogovernance key players regime complexes transnational networks.