Dr Bernhard Reinsberg

Dr Bernhard Reinsberg

Lecturer
University of Glasgow

Bernhard Reinsberg is a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Glasgow. He also is affiliated to the Centre for Business Research at the University of Cambridge. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Zurich, an MA in Comparative and International Studies at ETH Zurich and BA degrees in Political Science (Freie Universität Berlin) and Mathematics (University in Hagen).
His research broadly examines the policies and politics of international organizations, especially the ones with a mandate in development, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. What drives the behavior of these organisations? Under which circumstances are they effective in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals? Which governance reforms are required to enhance the ability of international development organisations to address burgeoning development challenges?
His specific interests cover three research areas. One is about the sociopolitical effects of so-called ‘conditionality’—a practice whereby international development organisations require beneficiary countries to commit to far-reaching reforms in order to obtain funding support. A second research area focuses on a recent transformation of multilateral funding structures. Donor governments increasingly restrict their contributions to international development organisations to specific countries, sectors, or purposes—with potentially adverse effects for development outcomes. A third research area refers to the interactions of international organisations with other global governance actors in so-called ‘regime complexes’. Through econometric analysis of quantitative data, insights from all these three research areas inform contemporary debates about the design and effectiveness of international organisations.
Dr Reinsberg has published widely in top-ranking international journals like the American Journal of Sociology, International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, and the Review of International Organizations, among others. It has been supported by several research grants and elicited attention from development policy-makers leading to several consultancies.