Inter-institutional Cooperation in Global Governance: Why Do Intergovernmental Organizations Participate in Transnational Public-Private Governance Initiatives

This paper examines the participation of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) in transnational
public-private governance initiatives (TGIs). In TGIs, IGOs cooperate with governments, business,
and civil society organizations to address global or transnational problems. However, not all IGOs
become involved in TGIs, and those who do participate vary in the extent of their involvement as well
as the types of initiatives they join. Using the Transnational Public-Private Governance Initiatives
in World Politics Data, I empirically map the variation of IGO involvement in 636 TGIs created in
the period between 1885 and 2017. I develop theoretical explanations for the observed variation and
empirically probe the explanatory power of these arguments using statistical analysis. I find that organizations
with larger secretariats and centralized institutional structures are more frequently involved
in TGIs in general. I also find that the effect of the level of democracy among the member states of
an IGO varies across types of TGIs. My findings provide an important empirical basis for advancing
research on IGO orchestration, inter-organizational relations in global governance, and regime complexity.