Institutional density reconsidered: states, international organisations, and the governance space

Abstract

As a result of both institutional proliferation and expansion, the international institutional environment has grown more complex. As such, scholars increasingly highlight what is described as the growing organisational or institutional density of the international system. Despite this, the concept of institutional density itself is rarely questioned. This paper explores the concept by critically examining the relationship between density and institutional proliferation. Focusing on formal international organisations, it considers the question of whether or not the creation of a new institution renders the institutional ‘playing field’ more crowded for new and the existing bodies. Drawing on a novel conception of the institutional governance space, it suggests that the creation of a new organisation in an area occupied by an existing body may have a more ambiguous impact on density than the existing accounts suggest. The governance space concept illustrates the potential for institutional proliferation to expand not only the population of international institutions, but also the number of concrete functions undertaken by these bodies and broader inter-subjective understandings about their appropriate role in global governance. Through this framework, it becomes apparent that the creation of a new international institution may expand the institutional playing field for both new and the existing bodies alike.