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Time and space in the study of international organizations: An introduction
Author(s) -
Maertens Lucile,
Kimber Leah R.,
Badache Fanny,
Dairon Emilie
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
global policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.602
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1758-5899
pISSN - 1758-5880
DOI - 10.1111/1758-5899.13022
Subject(s) - space (punctuation) , diversity (politics) , multilateralism , process (computing) , covid-19 , space time , spacetime , empirical research , sociology , computer science , operations research , political science , epistemology , law , mathematics , engineering , politics , medicine , philosophy , physics , disease , pathology , quantum mechanics , chemical engineering , infectious disease (medical specialty) , operating system
In the study of international organizations (IOs), time and space have mostly been approached as contextual, even implicit and unrelated, factors. Instead this special issue considers them as co‐constitutive of multilateralism and investigates three main questions: (i) How are IOs influenced by time and space? (ii) How are time and space experienced within IOs? (iii) How do IOs influence time and space around them? This introductory article compiles the contributions’ findings and points to a cyclical process: IOs are influenced by the spatiotemporal conditions of their enactment, leading to a diversity of practices and experiences within these organizations which in turn impact time and space, both in the way they are conceptualized and in their concrete embodiment. The special issue has proven the merit of taking time and space seriously in the study of IOs. This article concludes with a series of (non‐exhaustive) research avenues to continue this promising analytical and empirical endeavor, including discussions on the relationship between IO performance and time and space, and the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic.