Regional Intergovernmental Organization Response to COVID-19: The Impact of Neoliberalism on Bureaucratic Autonomy

Abstract

COVID-19 is a transboundary crisis that crosses political boundaries and affects critical infrastructure. Given the ongoing nature of COVID-19, it is vital to recognize the factors that impact an organization’s ability to respond to crises. In this article, we use the concept of bureaucratic autonomy discussed by Bauer and Ege (2016) to examine the response of four regional intergovernmental organizations. We find here that neoliberalism as a dominating global ideology has transformed the autonomy of action dimension into autonomy of finance, with the focus on enabling private firms through adjusting incentive structures, rather than taking direct action. Organizations that lack this autonomy become the benefactors of other dominant neoliberal financing institutions, thus furthering the entrenchment of neoliberalism and neoliberal finance. JEL Classification: F53, F55, P16