Many transnational issues have been addressed by states, in part through formal international organizations; however, little analytical attention in political science has been paid to how and when such organizations affect prospects for international cooperation. The proposed research examines state use of international secretariats of international organizations to address transnational problems. The research develops hypotheses to explain state use of international secretariats, and tests these hypotheses using case studies of secretariats drawn from a variety of formal international organizations. The grant supports six weeks of verbal interviews and archival research at the secretariats of the United Nations in New York and the World Bank in Washington, D.C., beginning June 1, 1999. During the grant period, the researcher collects information on secretariat duties, sources, staffing rules, budgets, operations in practice, and methods of state control over secretariat work.
