ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out to capture the notion of international bureaucracies as a distinct category of non-state actors, to review the state of scholarly knowledge about the quality and scope of their agency, to discuss competing theoretical approaches on how to study international bureaucracies and to identify avenues for further research. To this end it first describes the main characteristics of international bureaucracies and defines them as non-state actors. The following section reviews key theoretical approaches to international bureaucracies. The chapter then turns to empirical illustrations from two distinct policy arenas, international environmental governance and international security. Finally, three avenues for further research are suggested.
