Balancing effectiveness and control in global intergovernmental organizations

In understanding what determines the executive board structure of International Governmental Organizations (IGOs), we find that the number of members is a central driver. This article applies Corporate Governance literature to the Executive Boards of IGOs. We operatonalize the characteristics of IGO Executive Boards (number of directors, director selection, director requirements, and board decision-making) and test various hypotheses involving independent variables related to the IGO (membership, size, age, UN-affiliated, and being a Financial Institution). A main finding is that IGOs with greater number of members will adopt majority voting rules, have larger boards, and enjoy greater capacities.