ABSTRACT
This chapter refers to sociological neo-institutionalism (NI) and modern systems theory (ST) and aims to conceive and conceptualize international governmental organizations (IO) as world organizations. As instruments, IOs are mere tools that enable states to carry out certain tasks. This approach is preferred by realists and neo-realists who conceptualize states as being the only actors in the international realm. Neo-institutional approaches assume that IOs can operate as actors in the international system. The World Bank and the WTO are organizations in the realm of international political economy that according to their preambles share a neo-liberal agenda and a trust in the wealth-promoting impact of free trade and market liberalization. As norm entrepreneurs, IOs generate a pattern for shared expectations about behavior in international relations. In turn, world organizations produce and offer 'rationalized' models to their environment in order to improve the world, creating a mutual relationship with the 'rationalized' world culture.
