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International organizations and organizational fields: explaining policy change in the IMF

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2013

Antje Vetterlein  and
Manuela Moschella
Antje Vetterlein*
Affiliation:
Department of Business and Politics, Copenhagen Business School, Steen Blichers Vej 22 Frederiksberg 2000, Denmark
Manuela Moschella
Affiliation:
Department of Culture, Politics and Society, Turin, Italy
*
*E-mails: [email protected], [email protected]
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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to account for varieties of organizational change. In particular, we contend that in order to explain change in international organizations (IOs) we cannot simply dichotomize between change and the lack thereof. Rather, change is best conceptualized as made up of two dimensions: speed and scope. The combination of the two dimensions leads to a taxonomy with four distinct types of policy change. The paper evaluates the emergence of different types of change by focusing on the relationship between IOs and their fields. Specifically, the position of the organization in the field helps to account for the speed of change (slow vs. rapid), whereas the openness of the organization to the inputs coming from the field helps to explain the scope of change (incremental vs. radical). We illustrate our argument by comparing the changes in the International Monetary Fund's policies in the areas of financial sector surveillance and poverty reduction.

Keywords

international organizationspolicy changeinstitutionalismorganizational fieldIMF
Type
Research Article
Information
European Political Science Review , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , February 2014 , pp. 143 - 165
Copyright
Copyright © European Consortium for Political Research 2013 

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