Representation and contestation of global inequalities in international organizations

Governments traditionally represent national interests in international politics, but how horizontal inequalities and minority representation extend beyond the nation-state remains less clear. Parliamentary delegations offer a unique channel through which non-majority perspectives can be amplified on the international stage. These delegations signal which citizens—and which inequalities—are acknowledged in International Organizations and Global Governance Networks.   The project examines how political regimes and parties in the Global North and Global South shape and deploy parliamentary delegations for strategic representation. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for grasping how states respond to shifts in inequality and how contestation and politicization unfold in global governance.   Using attendance data, text analysis of summit speeches, and elite interviews with delegation members, this study investigates how countries choose which forms of inequality to highlight—or ignore—at three key international cooperation forums: BRICS (plus), the OECD, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The working hypothesis suggests that economic organizations such as the OECD (a Global North hegemon) and BRICS (a Global South challenger) rarely represent or politicize inequalities between member states. Instead, inequalities are often accepted as structural realities rather than actively addressed through parliamentary delegations. In contrast, the IPU, as a global parliamentary forum, provides a space where both global and horizontal inequalities are strategically represented and contested, reflecting the role of non-majoritarian interests across different political regimes.   By examining economic, political, and cultural inequalities, this project contributes to a deeper understanding of the strategic representation and contestation of global inequalities in international politics.