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Research project Democracy, Autocracy, and International Cooperation (DEMCOOP)

Democracy, Autocracy, and International Cooperation is a research project exploring why, how, and under what conditions countries’ political regimes affect how they behave in international cooperation. The project is funded by the European Research Council and the Swedish Research Council.

UN General Assembly Hall in New York. Photo: Mostphotos.

The EU flag. Photo: Mostphotos.

One of the most consistent findings in the study of world politics is the positive relationship between democratic regimes and international cooperation. Yet events in recent years suggest a more complicated picture. Several democracies have withered in their support for international organizations, while autocracies simultaneously have stepped up their commitments to cooperation. This project uses recent developments as a backdrop for launching a new research agenda on the relationship between regime type and international cooperation.

Guided by the over-arching question of why, how, and under what conditions regime type affects international cooperation, this project conducts a systematic and comprehensive analysis of this relationship. Theoretically, it develops a novel framework for identifying how regime type may have varying and conditional effects on international cooperation. Empirically, it examines this relationship over an extended time period and across a broad range of international cooperation, based on an extensive new data collection. Methodologically, it leverages a multi-method design, combining large-N statistical analysis, experimental analysis, and in-depth case analysis in a complementary fashion and with a comparative orientation. In addition, the project is policy relevant by generating insights on the resilience (or not) of international cooperation in an age of democratic decline.

Funded by the European Union (ERC, DEMCOOP, 101097437). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Project description

The project is organized in three work packages (WPs), each devoted to one dimension of international cooperation.

WP 1: The Extent of International Cooperation. How and why does regime type affect whether states become and remain members of international organizations (IOs), and whether these organizations thrive and survive? Theoretically, in WP1, we develop novel expectations about the relationship between regime type and the extent of international cooperation. Empirically, this WP generates new insights into this relationship through a combination of large-N, experimental, and case study analysis.

WP 2: The Design of International Cooperation. How and why does regime type shape states’ preferences toward the design of IOs? Theoretically, in WP2, we develop innovative hypotheses about the relationship between regime type and the design of IOs. Empirically, this WP leverages large-N, experimental, and case study analysis in a complementary fashion.

WP 3: The Effectiveness of International Cooperation. How and why does regime type impact decision-making and compliance in IOs? Theoretically, in WP3, we develop novel expectations about the relationship between regime type and the effectiveness of international cooperation. Empirically, this WP offers a combination of large-N, experimental, and case study analysis.