International Organizations: Loose and Tight Coupling in the Development Regime

In this essay, we explore how international organizations (IOs) have shaped how economic development has been conceptualized, promoted, and practiced since the end of World War II. We conceive of development as an international regime that provides structure and coherence to an area in international relations. We argue that over time, the international development regime has varied in how tightly coupled it has been-that is to say, in the degree to which it has been characterized by interdependence, centralized authority, and standardization. IOs have played a leading role in determining the tightness of coupling within the regime by selectively channeling resources, enforcing policy rules, and disseminating norms and ideas. We describe three distinct periods in the history of IOs in the international development regime. In the first period, which lasted through the end of the 1970s, the UN and its agencies specialized in diffusing norms and ideas, and the World Bank in providing resources, but neither played a significant role in enforcing policy rules, resulting in relatively loose coupling. The second period, which lasted until the early 2000s, was associated with the centralization of authority in the World Bank, closer linkages between rules, resources, and ideas, and tighter coupling. Finally, we argue that we are entering a more loosely coupled third period, characterized by the rise of new actors, the decentralization and fragmentation of authority, and the declining influence of policy paradigms.