International organizations (IOs) have evolved as quintessential actors in global economic governance. What IOs, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, or the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), do and how they do it affects the lives of people around the world. Because the contribution to governing the world economy has become so central, there continue to be external and internal demands for substantial institutional reform.

Reform, however, has to be well-thought out to make IOs “better.” This course starts by asking what “better” can or should mean when applied to IOs. The course then introduces students to concepts of justice, fairness, equity, transparency, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. Case studies of IO interaction with states, nonstate actors (NSAs), communities, and possibly other IOs are used to apply these concepts empirically and ask if IOs have failed to do “better.” The driving idea is to look at the same IO at different points in time in order to assess the evolution of its policy approaches.

This course is given in English, and all assignments are to be taken in English. Thus, students ought to have a good command of the English language. Parts of the course literature are accessible via Blackboard; a complete reader can be printed at the university’s “Alpha Service Points.” Apart from active participation, students need to give some form of presentation to receive a “Teilnahmeschein” and, additionally, write a term paper to receive a “Leistungsschein.”