New Publications
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.