Laura White
Title of thesis
Does Executive Leadership Matter: A Case Study of WTO Directors-General
Summary of thesis
The doctoral research investigates the reality of the theoretical hypothesis that executive leadership is, 'the most critical single determinant of the growth in scope and authority of international organization' (Cox 1969). The thesis uses the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as a case study – analysing the leadership of the four Directors-General – in an attempt to determine (1) does leadership matter, (2) what is the role of the executive head, and (3) how is he effective (the masculine pronoun reflects that the four Directors-General of the WTO have all been males). The research employs an analytical framework:
- the formal authority
- the informal authority
- the impact of circumstance
- and the influence of the environment/structure
and a conceptual framework, that examines executive leadership through:
- the internal bureaucracy
- the member states
- and the international system
The thesis will make a theoretical contribution to the fields of International Political Economy and Global Governance through an empirical case study analysis.
Supervisors
Rorden Wilkinson and Inderjeet Parmar
Planned submission date
September 2013
Research interests
Research interests are defined broadly by the fields of International Political Economy, International Relations, and Global Governance/Institutional Studies. More specifically, interests include agricultural economics, trade politics, subsidies, modalities, trade in corn and cotton products, farm-to-market distortion, and decision-making in international institutions. Previous research interests and publication include global capital cycles of investment in business, small business economies, regional economic development, alternative currencies, the creative class, and gentrification.
Conference papers
- 'Doha Success Critical for Global Economic Recovery' Hawaii International Conference on Social Sciences, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 4-7, 2009.
- 'Doha Success Critical for Global Economic Recovery' Georgia Political Science Association, Callaway Gardens, Georgia, November 12-15, 2009.
- 'Doha Success Critical for Global Economic Recovery' Northeastern Political Science Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 19-22, 2009.
Additional information
- Conference paper listed under maiden name: Laura Schellberg
- Currently a GTA for Introduction to International Relations – POLI10601