International Relations theory argues that International Organizations (IOs) promote cooperation among member states. Practically, however, states do not engage with all peers to the same extent. On what basis are partners selected? While previous studies often measured interstate cooperation at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) through co-voting, such linkage can be accidental or requires little direct engagement. Contrarily, I argue that jointly drafting a resolution offers a reliable measure for cooperation between states steering UNSC affairs. This claim is supported by 75 high-level interviews with United Nations diplomats. Analyzing over 15,000 co-authorship dyads on resolutions targeting complex humanitarian emergencies between 1990 and 2019 with a new dataset based on scraped resolution texts, I find that delegations looking to co-author choose partners with similar domestic characteristics (regime type, wealth, region and political-economic groups) to reduce coordination costs. However, such short-term convenience comes at a long-term cost. The results suggest that resolutions drafted by a more diverse coalition of states are more likely to be adopted (unanimously) and face seldom vetoes. The analysis hence illustrates how strategic partnership selection directs the effectiveness and resilience of multilateral cooperation at the UNSC, encouraging the adoption of more inclusive practices in the production of policy.

Speaker

Andrea Knapp is a Ph.D. candidate in Political and Social Sciences (37th cycle) at the University of Bologna. Her research focuses the decision-making of International Organizations (particularly the United Nations and NATO), conflict intervention and peace missions. Her doctoral thesis investigates state influence on conflict negotiation processes at the United Nations Security Council since 1990. For the 2024/2025 academic year, Andrea is teaching assistant for the course "Introduction to International Relations" (BAES) and academic collaborator for the course "Technology and Change in Global Politics".