Studying International Organizations: Concepts, methods and data - Einzelansicht

International Organizations (IOs) are central actors of global governance, but studying them from an empirical perspective means navigating methodological challenges. What makes good research questions? How can we measure concepts including effectiveness, autonomy or legitimacy? What data on IOs exists and what can it actually tell us? This seminar provides the hands-on introduction to the concepts, methods and data for empirical research on IOs. The opening part equips students with key competencies necessary to conduct analysis of multilateral institutions (e.g., formulating research questions, building theoretical arguments or translating abstract concepts into measurable indicators). The second section introduces two widely used quantitative methods in IO research –regression analysis and quantitative text analysis (text-as-data) – with dedicated lab sessions in R. Finally, the students apply these new tools by developing and presenting their own research ideas, for which they receive peer feedback in the format of a methodological clinic.

Students will write a take-home essay for the final grade.