Policy Article
Tokhi, Alexandros & Lisbeth Zimmermann. (2026). Beyond Trump: How far-right governments change international organizations through voluntary funding. IPI Global Observatory.
The policy article in the IPI Global Observatory examines how far-right governments use voluntary and earmarked funding to strategically shape international organizations, particularly in the area of migration. Drawing on data from 37 OECD donors (1990–2020), they show how selective participation, funding cuts, and project-tied contributions can gradually reshape mandates, priorities, and practices within the UN system.
Working Paper
PEIO presentation: How the Far Right Affects Foreign Aid Funding
The paper “The Far Right and International Organizations – How the Far Right Affects Foreign Aid Funding” was presented by Alexander Tokhi and Lisbeth Zimmermann at the Political Economy of International Organizations Conference in Stockholm (https://www.peio.me/welcome-page/program-and-papers-2024/ ), June 12-15 2024.
You can download a poster version of the paper here.
Work in Progress
Zimmermann, Lisbeth, Pauline Helms & Alexandros Tokhi: Transnational anti-gender activism in the United Nations: Insider versus outsider strategies.
Women’s rights have become a site of heated rivalry. A professionalized transnational advocacy network (TANs) on these issues exists not only on the progressive but also the conservative side. Today, a so-called “anti-gender” network targets same-sex marriage, abortion legislation, and reproductive rights at the domestic and international level. They also participate directly in UN institutions, most importantly, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), both of which are part of the United Nations (UN)’ Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). But which factors shape the patterns of UN insider activism of this?
Existing research in International Relations and Social Movement Studies has focused on progressive TANs. This research provides different expectations: Groups choose insider strategies if 1) an open political opportunity structure exists in the IO, and 2) if the individual groups are more moderate and 3) established. In addition, 4) IO insider strategies are linked to more influential network positions. But to what extent do these expectations hold for the anti-gender network, which fundamentally opposed the policy output of the UN, and might not derive the same benefits from their participation? We present novel data on participation patterns in the CSW and the CPD, as well as on radicality, group characteristics, and network positions. We show that open political opportunity structures matter, and that UN insiders are more moderate, more established, and hold central network positions – in line with existing assumptions. However, radicality is becoming more pronounced, and groups remain highly diverse.
Zimmermann, Lisbeth & Alexandros Tokhi: Repurposing IOs? Far-right Funding in the Field of Migration Governance
The Far Right is on the rise, winning elections and entering governments around the globe. The recent financial cuts to the UN system by the Trump administration have highlighted how member states can influence international organizations (IOs) through funding decisions. Yet far-right governments do not simply withdraw from IOs or withhold all their money. Instead, we argue, they aim at repurposing IOs to implement their international policy priorities. Based on data on earmarked funding to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) between 1990 and 2023, we show that far-right governments aim to align IO operational work with their anti-migration policies: They shift funding between organizations, preferring IOM over UNHCR because of its broader focus on migration and return management. They also allocate funding to operational activities that better align with their preferences, thereby shifting UNHCR project activities outside its core mandate.
Zimmermann, Lisbeth, Matthias Ecker-Ehrhardt, Franziska Höhne & Alexandros Tokhi: Multilateralism à la Far-right? The Delegation politics of Far-right Governments in the UNFCCC
Far-right parties are increasingly represented in democratic governments worldwide. Their participation not only reshapes foreign policy preferences but also affects the practices of multilateral diplomacy with and within international organizations. Plenary bodies of international organizations—such as the Conference of the Parties (COP) in the case of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—constitute key arenas of “liberal” international order where state delegates negotiate agendas, priorities, policies, and budgets as well as reforms. Over recent decades, scholarship has observed a marked shift towards a more “technocratic” mode of global governance, increasingly emphasizing expertise and specialization. How much does the composition of state delegations reflect this trend over time? And to what extent does the rise of the far right significantly affect it? To address these questions, we use original data on more than 100,000 participants at UNFCCC COPs between 1995 and 2024 and study the effect of far-right government participation on size, composition, and personal continuity of state delegations.
Working Paper:
Franziska Höhne: Varieties of Far-Right Climate Politics: Party Positions on Global Climate Governance in Europe
The paper examines the policy preferences of thirty-two European far-right parties on global climate governance, focusing on the international institutions intended to mitigate the crisis. Through a fine-grained, qualitative analysis of their national election manifestos it adds to existing, rather quantitative studies. Contrary to common assumptions, the paper finds strong heterogeneity in far-right parties’ positions on global climate governance.
Working Paper:
Franziska Höhne: Mainstreaming of the European far-right: Analysing affirmative variants of far-right climate policy discourse in the 9th European Parliament
The paper examines far-right discourse on climate policy in the European Parliament, focusing on the affirmation of the need for such policies. It suggests understanding far-right climate policy affirmation as a strategic, opportunistic moment of far-right moderation, tied into a wider process of far-right mainstreaming.
Policy Article: Zimmermann, Lisbeth. „Die internationale Politik des Rechtspopulismus: Internationale Institutionen unter Druck.” Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, (im Erscheinen).