Abstract
A key component of (neo-)functionalist and constructivist approaches to the study of international organizations concerns staff socialization. Existing analyses of how, or indeed whether, staff develop more pro-internationalist attitudes over time draw predominantly on cross-sectional data. Yet, such data cannot address (self-)selection issues or capture the inherently temporal nature of attitude change. This article proposes an innovative approach to the study of international socialization using an explicitly longitudinal design. Analysing two waves of a large-scale survey conducted within the European Commission in 2008 and 2014, it examines the beliefs and values of the same individuals over time and exploits exogenous organizational changes to identify causal effects. Furthermore, the article theorizes and assesses specified scope conditions affecting socialization processes. Showing that international institutions do, in fact, influence value acquisition by individual bureaucrats, our results contest the widely held view that international organizations are not a socializing environment. Our analysis also demonstrates that age at entry and gender significantly affect the intensity of such value change.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 852-877 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | European Journal of International Relations |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 12 Nov 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sep 2019 |
Keywords
- Socialization
- international organizations
- European Commission
- civil servants
- international bureaucrats
Profiles
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Sara Connolly
- Norwich Business School - Professor of Personnel Economics
- Institute for Volunteering Research - Member
- Centre for Research on Children and Families - Member
- Volunteering and the Market - Group Lead
- Employment Systems and Institutions - Member
Person: Group Lead, Research Group Member, Research Centre Member, Academic, Teaching & Research
-
Hussein Kassim
- School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies - Honorary Professorial Fellow
- Centre for Competition Policy - Member
- Policy & Politics - Member
- Political, Social and International Studies - Member
Person: Honorary, Research Group Member, Research Centre Member, Academic, Teaching & Research