New Publications
Tokhi, Alexandros, & Lisbeth Zimmermann. (2026). Repurposing international organizations? Far-right funding in the field of migration governance. Politics.
The rise of far-right governments has put international organizations under pressure, as seen in recent US funding cuts to the UN system. Yet far-right governments do not simply withdraw or withhold funding – instead, they aim to repurpose international organizations to serve their policy priorities. Based on data on earmarked funding to UNHCR and IOM between 2004 and 2023, we show that far-right governments shift funding toward IOM over UNHCR, given its broader focus on migration and return management, and channel funding into operational activities aligned with their anti-immigration preferences – shifting UNHCR’s work outside its core mandate.
Ecker-Ehrhardt, Matthias & Hofferberth, Matthias (2026). Share @WHO? Authority and Resonance in IO Social Media Communication. Global Studies Quarterly 6(1): ksaf111.
They examine how the WHO uses social media to reinforce its authority as a global health governor. Introducing the concept of “affirmative resonance,” the authors identify three key drivers of public engagement: authoritative messaging, personalized communication from officials, and platform-specific features like visuals and hashtags. An analysis of COVID-19-related WHO posts finds that all four factors boost resonance, with visual content notably amplifying the effect of personalized authority claims.
Ecker-Ehrhardt, Matthias (2025). Building Bridges or Digging the Trench? International Organizations, Social Media, and Polarized Fragmentation. Review of International Organizations 20: 157-187.
This paper explores the tension in IO social media communication between neutral public information and partisan advocacy. Using the UN’s Twitter activity around the Global Compact for Migration as a case study, Ecker-Ehrhardt finds that rather than bridging ideological divides, the UN Department of Global Communications actually deepened polarization through its retweeting, mentioning, and hashtagging practices – raising questions about whether advocacy-driven IO communication undermines credibility and trust across fragmented online audiences.
Tokhi, Alexandros & Zimmermann, Lisbeth (2025). The far right and international organizations: How the far right in government affects foreign aid funding. The Review of International Organizations, 1-35.
UN funding is currently under pressure, most importantly due to funding cuts by the Trump administration. Alexandros Tokhi and Lisbeth Zimmermann show that participation of far-right parties in government has, more generally, substantial negative effects on the funding of international organizations (IOs). Governments with far-right parties reduce earmarked funding contributions to IOs by almost 30%, yet they do not alter bilateral aid commitments. We argue that the far right in government does so, as it cannot fully align its anti-migration agenda with the liberal mandates and purposes of most IOs.