[Soodang Distinguished Speaker Colloquium #17] Capitol Controls: Migration and Congressional Oversight of International Organizations

• Presenter: Adrian Shin (University of Colorado Boulder)
• Date and Time: January 11, 2022 ㅣ 11:00
• Venue: Political Science and Economics Building 412

On January 11, 2023, Korea University’s Peace & Democracy Institute and Department of Political Science and International Relations invited Professor Adrian Shin (University of Colorado Boulder) and held the 17th Soodang Distinguished Speaker Colloquium. The author presented his research titled “Capitol Controls: Migration and Congressional Oversight of International Organizations.”

Abstract

Since the end of World War II, the U.S. has operated at the center of global economic governance through its backing of the Bretton Woods institutions—the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. However, since U.S. financing of the Fund and the World Bank ultimately depends on the acquiescence of Congress, the capacity of these institutions remains tightly linked to domestic politics. In this article, we revisit the domestic roots of congressional support for the funding of the IMF and the World Bank. Whereas past research emphasizes the role of financial interests and political ideology in guiding congressional preferences, we highlight policymakers’ racial attitudes and fears about immigration as equally salient drivers. Specifically, we posit that racially conservative lawmakers whose districts face disproportionately high levels of migrant pressure are more likely to support congressional funding for the IMF and the World Bank. These international financial institutions are built to alleviate poverty and economic distress within the major migrant-sending countries of the U.S.,and increasing the resources of these institutions can mitigate immigration flows. We evaluate this claim using a dataset of House votes on funding the international financial institutions during five congressional sessions (95th, 96th, 98th, 103rd, and 105th).