Concentration despite competition: The organizational ecology of technical assistance providers

Jean-Frédéric Morin ()
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Jean-Frédéric Morin: Canada Research Chair in International Political Economy, Political Science Department, Laval University

The Review of International Organizations, 2020, vol. 15, issue 1, No 3, 75-107

Abstract: Abstract When international organizations expand and proliferate, why do they fail to spread more evenly in their policy sphere? To answer this question, this article builds on organizational ecology theory, which was recently introduced into the study of international organizations. However, rather than studying each population separately, as previous studies have done, this article investigates how distinct populations with overlapping niches shape each other’s evolution. It argues that when inter-population competition occurs, the first population to occupy its niche at a high density limits the long-term development of other populations. This is the case even if emerging populations may temporarily enjoy a higher growth rate. The argument is illustrated by a study of the relations between four populations of technical assistance providers in the field of intellectual property. By doing so, the article brings for the first time inter-population relations in the study of international organizations and provides an explanation for the persistent concentration of international organizations in specific areas of the governance space.

Keywords: Organizational ecology; Intellectual property; Technical assistance; Capacity building; World intellectual property organization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D23 D79 F53 F55 L33 O19 O34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11558-018-9322-7

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