The Executive Head of International Organisations, an Important Actor in World Politics? A Study of the Leadership of UNESCO Directors-General in Comp

The objective of this research project is to contribute to the debate in international organisation scholarship on the level of agency of the executive heads of international organisations and their subsequent significance as actors in world politics, notably by providing new empirical insights into a particular international organisation which has benefited from limited scholarly attention despite its importance and uniqueness, which is UNESCO. Indeed, the majority of works on the role and influence of Secretaries-General have tended to focus on those of the United Nations, and display a certain selection bias in favour of more prominent figures. This project aims to provide original insights by carrying out a qualitative cross-case comparative analysis of four successive Directors-General, which will be analyzed systematically using Michael Schechter's (1989) three-part framework, encompassing systemic, organisational and personality factors.