Since the end of the Cold War, international organizations and states have developed programs to promote (good) governance in third countries. Development cooperation, for instance, has become a primary tool for transferring governance institutions, such as the rule of law or democracy. The broad mandate of regional organizations, including the European Union, Mercosur or ASEAN, allows them to actively promote the development of legitimate governance institutions in their member states and third countries. Thereby, they may not only foster the evolution of regional but also induce the transformation of national order.

The Projektkurs “Governance Transfer by Regional Organizations” will investigate the transfer of governance institutions by regional organizations in and to areas of limited statehood. We will map the objectives, approaches and instruments these external actors use to promote the creation and transformation of legitimate governance institutions in target countries. A comparison of major regional organizations shall enable us to evaluate to what extent we can observe the diffusion of a global governance script. Do regional organizations demand and promote similar criteria for ‘good governance’ institutions, or do regional and local path dependencies prevail? Our final goal is to account for similarities and differences within and between regional organizations and gain first insights into the effectiveness and legitimacy of regional governance transfer in and to areas of limited statehood.