Axel Dreher

Chatting with @adreher.bsky.social about Chinese aid & public support (for China), Western aid & political violence, US bilateral aid & the United Nations Security Council, aid & diffusion of economic activity, & some more. Link to full chat in comments. #econsky

Join us for the Political Economy of International Organization Conference (@the-peio.bsky.social) at the University of Texas at Austin, January 7-9, 2027. Submission is now open at peio.me. Thanks to Terry Chapman, Dan Nielson, @natemjensen.bsky.social, @rwellhausen.bsky.social for hosting!

IE SPEGA had the pleasure to host the 18th edition of @the-peio.bsky.social, a truly transatlantic conference that brings together senior and junior scholars from both sides of the Atlantic doing state-of-the-art work in the fields of international political economy and international organizations.

Check out the papers of the 18th PEIO (@the-peio.bsky.social, IE University) at www.peio.me. Please save the date for our next PEIO, hosted by the University of Texas at Austin, on January 7-9, 2027. Thanks to Dan Nielson et al. for hosting us! @rwellhausen.bsky.social, @natemjensen.bsky.social

Today I’m presenting part of the Russia in Africa project at the 18th @the-peio.bsky.social conference @iepolisci.bsky.social in Segovia. Great conference, great people!

We are very excited that the 18th @the-peio.bsky.social conference will be held at IE's Segovia campus next weekend.

More information at www.peio.me

New Paper Alert!📢
"From Moderates to Extremes: How Immigration Polarizes American Politics" 🗽
by @matzat.bsky.social @adreher.bsky.social @langlotzsarah.bsky.social & Christopher Parsons

Insights on how immigration reshapes American politics:
🔗 www.ifo.de/en/cesifo/pu...

Program and papers for the 18th PEIO (@the-peio.bsky.social, IE University, Jan 29-31) are now online at www.peio.me. Thanks to Zoe Ge, Nikitas Konstantinidis and Irene Menéndez González for hosting us! @iepolisci.bsky.social

New Special Issue in @the-peio.bsky.social: Public Opinion and International Organizations. In the SI intro, we map the field, place the SI papers & identify ways forward: rdcu.be/eXt2R with @jonastallberg.bsky.social, 🙏 @adreher.bsky.social, reviewers & SI authors #Polisky #InternationalRelations

abstract

Happy to share that our paper on the ideological biases of international organizations is now out in the current issue of the AJPS (@ajpseditor.bsky.social):

dx.doi.org/10.1111/ajps...

@the-peio.bsky.social @mzesunimannheim.bsky.social @akentikelenis.bsky.social

🙌 Recommended reading: rising powers can use international organisations to improve their image among foreign publics. These efforts may have negative effects on the perceived legitimacy of international organisations. Based on novel survey #Brazil #China #polisky @the-peio.bsky.social 👇

As the US steps back from leading in global governance institutions, China has increasingly stepped into leadership roles, serving as head of WHO, FAO, and other important UN agencies in recent years. In new (open access!) work with
@rhulvey.bsky.social in @the-peio.bsky.social we ask: why? 1/5

The far right and international organizations: How the far right in government affects foreign aid funding - The Review of International Organizations The far right is on the rise, winning elections, entering governments globally, and politicizing international cooperation. Existing research finds only very limited effects of far-right governments o...

We're increasingly using data on donor funding trends & combining it with strategic foresight to understand what the state of multilateralism could plausibly be in the coming years. This analysis from
@the-peio.bsky.social on government donor funding is very interesting: bit.ly/4mkkUqB

Two days left to register, on site or online.

Thanks for sharing @juliegwen.bsky.social @dinapomeranz.bsky.social @bachmannrudi.bsky.social @adreher.bsky.social @wyssacademy.bsky.social @dlangenmayr.bsky.social

Call for two Stephan Klasen Fellowships at the University of Göttingen,
for postdoctoral researchers in development economics from low- and middle-income countries.

Applications close 16th November 2025.

www.uni-goettingen.de/en/632637.html

Another call for better aid reporting. Axel Dreher says we should distinguish & report separately on:

1. Humanitarian aid
2. Global public goods
3. Development aid

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Deadline for PEIO 2026: September 30.

Aid program must return to its roots Foreign aid isn't dying; it's in deep trouble. Just look at Seville, where the United States — the world's largest development donor not long ago — didn't even bother to send a delegation to the globa...

Some of my thoughts on how to reform foreign aid in China Daily: global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202509/13/... (uncensored version here: axel-dreher.de/wp-content/u...)

Again, a highly interesting and timely paper in @the-peio.bsky.social. Thanks to @benchristian.bsky.social for distributing it! @adreher.bsky.social - is there a way to push ROIO authors to have a bluesky-account? 😉

Map of the world by ADM1 regions showing the number of years with targeted political violence in each region, 1990-2020. Western donors drastically cut foreign aid in 2025, reigniting the familiar debate over whether aid works. This column examines how aid affects targeted political violence, looking at assassinations and attacks against politicians in 121 countries between 1990 and 2020. In regions receiving aid, targeted killings of politicians are 15%-20% higher in the years with aid inflows, especially where institutions are weak and elections are upcoming. Donors should avoid large transfers immediately before elections, consider direct cash transfers in fragile contexts, and incorporate political dynamics in risk assessments.

@adreher.bsky.social, Jingke Pan, & @cjschneider.bsky.social find that in regions receiving foreign aid, targeted killings of politicians are 15-20% higher in the years with aid inflows. Direct cash transfers should be considered in fragile contexts.
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
#EconSky

Richard Clark. 2025. Cooperative Complexity: The Next Level of Global Economic Governance. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) - The Review of International Organizations The Review of International Organizations -

Many thanks to Michael Breen @dublincityuni.bsky.social for this thoughtful review of my book, Cooperative Complexity: The Next Level of Global Economic Governance, in The Review of International Organizations @the-peio.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

New Paper Alert!📢
"Foreign Aid and Targeted Political Violence" by @adreher.bsky.social‬ Jingke Pan @cjschneider.bsky.social

To understand how foreign aid can unintentionally fuel political violence in fragile democracies, read the full study here:
🔗 www.ifo.de/en/cesifo/pu...

Looking forward to present new research (with @hannaeback.bsky.social and @michaelimre.bsky.social) on the relationship between ideological polarization, coalition governance and the number of party members in the German states at the Sogang Conference on Party Activism and Democracy next week 😊

The Review of International Organizations The Review of International Organizations publishes original scientific contributions in the entire field of international political economy, with a focus on ...

📌The special issue "Illiberal Regimes and International Organizations" is now published as Vol. 20 Issue 2 in RIO! @the-peio.bsky.social
link.springer.com/journal/1155...
Summary thread with each piece-- 🧵

🚨 Big News for European Political Science 🚨

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the European Political Science Society (EPSS): a new, member-led, not-for-profit association built to support our scholarly community.

🔗 epssnet.org

Here’s a thread with everything you need to know.

🧵

I look forward to this week's dialogue on a (sadly) timely topic: Sudden aid cuts @langlotzsarah.bsky.social @isdcberlin.bsky.social @adreher.bsky.social @kiel.institute @uni-goettingen.de @fuchsa.bsky.social

🚨 JOB ALERT 🚨 2 exciting PreDoc positions in my team at the University of Bern, starting late summer/early fall! Collaborate on cutting-edge research in Political Economy, Development &Behavioral Economics, using experimental and quasi-experimental methods.

Armutsbekämpfung: „Es kostet 5000 Dollar, ein Menschenleben zu retten“ Wie effektiv ist die westliche Entwicklungshilfe an den globalen Süden? Der Entwicklungsökonom Axel Dreher fordert neue Konzepte - und gibt Donald Trump in einer Sache recht.

Wie effektiv ist die westliche Entwicklungshilfe an den globalen Süden? Der Entwicklungsökonom Axel Dreher fordert neue Konzepte - und gibt Donald Trump in einer Sache recht.

Study #Development #Economics in #Göttingen! We accept applications for our Master of students with either citizenship or Bachelor from EU/EEA countries until May 15. Info: uni-goettingen.de/en/203661.html. @unigoettingen.bsky.social @agrarunigoe.bsky.social igoe.bsky.social @3dseminar.bsky.social

I received a heartbreaking email today: A paper in a special issue I’m editing is being retracted because one of its authors is afraid of losing their job and their legal status in the U.S. if they publish a scientific study on evolution. Yes, on evolution, nature's engine of diversity.