Counter-Institutionalization in the Global Governance System
States increasingly contest international institutions by “counter-institutionalization.” This comes in two forms. Counter-Institutionalization by Incumbent States (CMALL 4) means regime shifting and competitive regime creation. Incumbent states build and use parallel governance forums, especially when the dominant institution exercises authority on the basis of the “one-state, one-vote” principle. In that way, Western states insist on institutionalized inequality, asking for a global governance system that gives them a privileged role and allows for double standards. The costs of this strategy are significant. Rising powers also use the strategy of counter-institutionalization. They aim at changing existing, Western-biased institutions. Counter-Institutionalization by Rising Powers (CMALL 3) aims at voice—not at exit or loyalty. At the same time, there is an ongoing suspicion that stronger international institutions are instruments of Western dominance and help to prolong an unequal distribution of benefits. This tension leads to ambiguous responses, unified by the struggle against institutionalized inequality.