Agenda setting in the United Nations

Verfasst von

Jutta Joachim, Natalia Dalmer

Abstract

Agenda setting, traditionally a subject of interest in comparative politics, has increasingly garnered the attention of International Relations scholars. In this chapter, we discuss how agenda setting has been defined and more widely applied to study policymaking in international organizations due to the theoretical opening of the field. Focusing on the United Nations (UN) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), we delineate how the ability to define an agenda varies not only depending on the policy cycle and the actors involved but is also contingent on the opening of opportunity windows. However, as we illustrate with the case of violence against women, which was included on the UN's agenda in the early 1990s due to the pressure and lobbying efforts of international women's organizations, agenda setting is not only a matter of fortuitous structural conditions. Instead, the manner in which issues are defined and framed matters to overcome institutional opposition and mobilize support. We conclude with an outlook on the future of agenda setting research, suggesting that while its peak days might have passed, several worthwhile niches remain to be explored.

Details

Organisationseinheit(en): Institut für Politikwissenschaft
Typ: Beitrag in Buch/Sammelwerk
Seiten: 348-361
Anzahl der Seiten: 14
Publikationsdatum: 09.09.2025
Publikationsstatus: Veröffentlicht
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete: Allgemeine Sozialwissenschaften, Allgemeine Kunst und Geisteswissenschaften
Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung: SDG 5 – Gleichberechtigung der Geschlechter, SDG 3 – Gute Gesundheit und Wohlergehen, SDG 10 – Weniger Ungleichheiten, SDG 16 – Frieden, Gerechtigkeit und starke Institutionen
Elektronische Version(en): https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035318513.00035 (Zugang: Geschlossen )