Cooperation across the boundaries of nation states is a central feature of the international system, which lacks a central authority. The establishment, development and demise of cooperation and have fascinated practitioners and scholars of International Relations alike. International cooperation comes in different shapes and forms: formal cooperation through international organizations, informal cooperation through clubs like the G7/8, cooperation among non-state actors or instances of spontaneous institution-building, among others.
This seminar provides an overview of the state-of-the-art research on varieties of international cooperation. The core theme of this seminar is how international cooperation occurs, what forms it takes and what implications this has for global governance. The seminar is structured into three blocks: In a first introductory block, we will look at definitions and core concepts of international cooperation to set the stage for the contemporary analysis of cooperative arrangements in international relations. In a second block, we will focus on actors and institutions: states, non-state actors, heads of states and networks. In a third block, we will focus on specific case studies of international cooperation, ranging from spontaneous institution-building in peacekeeping, cooperation among absolute monarchies, cooperative governance through regime complexes in addressing climate change, cooperation through external actors in migration policy to the breakdown of cooperation as occurred with Brexit. In each session, we will take a look at an exemplary case of cooperation from different policy fields, including international security, environmental protection, migration policy, international criminal justice and peacekeeping, among others. In a final block, we will focus on research design and term paper writing.