Research project Democracy, Autocracy, and International Cooperation (DEMCOOP)
Democracy, Autocracy, and International Cooperation is a research project exploring why, how, and under what conditions countries’ political regimes affect how they behave in international cooperation. The project is funded by the European Research Council, the Swedish Research Council and Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
One of the most consistent findings in the study of world politics is the positive relationship between democratic regimes and international cooperation. Yet events in recent years suggest a more complicated picture. Several democracies have withered in their support for international organizations, while autocracies simultaneously have stepped up their commitments to cooperation. This project uses recent developments as a backdrop for launching a new research agenda on the relationship between regime type and international cooperation.
Guided by the over-arching question of why, how, and under what conditions regime type affects international cooperation, this project conducts a systematic and comprehensive analysis of this relationship. Theoretically, it develops a novel framework for identifying how regime type may have varying and conditional effects on international cooperation. Empirically, it examines this relationship over an extended time period and across a broad range of international cooperation, based on an extensive new data collection. Methodologically, it leverages a multi-method design, combining large-N statistical analysis, experimental analysis, and in-depth case analysis in a complementary fashion and with a comparative orientation. In addition, the project is policy relevant by generating insights on the resilience (or not) of international cooperation in an age of democratic decline.
Funded by the European Union (ERC, DEMCOOP, 101097437). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project description
The project is organized in three work packages (WPs), each devoted to one dimension of international cooperation.
WP 1: The Extent of International Cooperation. How and why does regime type affect whether states become and remain members of international organizations (IOs), and whether these organizations thrive and survive? Theoretically, in WP1, we develop novel expectations about the relationship between regime type and the extent of international cooperation. Empirically, this WP generates new insights into this relationship through a combination of large-N, experimental, and case study analysis.
WP 2: The Design of International Cooperation. How and why does regime type shape states’ preferences toward the design of IOs? Theoretically, in WP2, we develop innovative hypotheses about the relationship between regime type and the design of IOs. Empirically, this WP leverages large-N, experimental, and case study analysis in a complementary fashion.
WP 3: The Effectiveness of International Cooperation. How and why does regime type impact decision-making and compliance in IOs? Theoretically, in WP3, we develop novel expectations about the relationship between regime type and the effectiveness of international cooperation. Empirically, this WP offers a combination of large-N, experimental, and case study analysis.
Project members
Members
Jonas Tallberg
Professor
Faradj Koliev
Associate Professor
Jonas Willibald Schmid
Postdoc
Carl Vikberg
Researcher
Karin Sundström
Researcher
Rongsheng Liu
PhD student
Laura Sophie Ritter
PhD student
Marine Roux
Postdoctor
Natalie Lindholm
PhD student
Gudlaug Olafsdottir
Postdoc
News
More about this project
Past Events
DEMCOOP Workshop August 2025
In the days leading up to the 2025 ECPR General Conference in Thessaloniki, the DEMCOOP project convened an internal workshop, bringing members together after the summer break. The workshop provided a valuable opportunity to take stock of ongoing work, explore new paper ideas, and make strategic decisions moving forward. Substantively, the project continues to focus on themes such as autocratic and democratic membership in international organizations, the role of political elites, and variation across issue areas. Methodologically, members are increasingly engaging with survey experiments to better uncover the mechanisms linking regime type and international cooperation.
DEMCOOP Workshop May 21-23, 2025
In May, we had the pleasure of welcoming scholars from near and far to the first DEMCOOP Project Workshop, following the initial kick-off in 2024. Over the course of two days, participants engaged in productive discussions of papers and projects at different stages of development. The workshop focused on regime type and international cooperation, with particular attention to international norms, state preferences, and patterns of collaboration. Bringing together many of the leading voices in the field, the discussions highlighted a key observation: autocracies appear to cooperate more extensively than previous theories would suggest. This invites a critical reexamination of established assumptions about both regime type and international cooperation. Particular attention was also given to the dynamics of backsliding states and the variation within regime types. Important questions remain about the mechanisms that drive autocracies and autocratizing states to behave differently in international cooperation. Looking ahead, participants emphasized the need to consider the consequences of the autocratic shift and the associated changes in design and membership of international organizations. Are there any changes in IO decision-making and policies? To address such questions, it will be important to expand the research agenda beyond human rights and explore additional thematic areas withing the study of regime type and international cooperation.
International Scientific Advisory Board
Tom Ginsburg, University of Chicago
Liesbet Hooghe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill/European University Institute
Jon Pevehouse, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Christina Schneider, University of California San Diego
Thomas Sommerer, University of Potsdam
Jan Teorell, Stockholm University
Michael Zürn, WZB Berlin Social Science Center
DEMCOOP Workshops
