How do intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) evolve? Cooperation through IGOs is difficult to maintain, as membership dynamics change dramatically over time, leading to dissatisfaction with the status quo. This paper argues that IGO members states create new affiliated bodies, which I call linked intergovernmental organizations (LIGOs), to “re-contract” their cooperation. This helps IGOs adapt to changing membership dynamics, including the addition of new members and shifting constellations of power and preference. LIGOs are particularly useful for weak or formerly weak states seeking to alter the institutional status quo. Several features of LIGOs incentivize their creation: (1) they bypass difficult-to-enact reforms at existing IGOs; (2) flexible design features increase the voice of dissatisfied constituencies; and (3) they are politically viable for dissatisfied and status quo members of IGOs. To test my argument, I analyze original data on 1,200 LIGOs created between 1945 and 2012. Multivariate statistical analyses show that LIGOs are created in response to shifting membership environments that create demands for change at existing IGOs. I complement the quantitative analysis with case studies of two significant LIGOs: The International Development Agency (IDA) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). My theory suggests a dramatic rethinking of how international cooperation evolves and has broad implications for global governance in an increasingly multipolar world.

政府间组织 (IGO) 如何发展？通过政府间组织进行的合作很难维持，因为随着时间的推移，成员动态发生巨大变化，导致对现状的不满。本文认为，IGO 成员国创建了新的附属机构，我将其称为链接政府间组织 (LIGO)，以“重新契约”他们的合作。这有助于政府间组织适应不断变化的成员动态，包括新成员的增加以及权力和偏好格局的变化。LIGO 对于寻求改变制度现状的弱国或以前的弱国特别有用。LIGO 的几个特点激励了它们的创建：（1）它们绕过了现有 IGO 难以实施的改革；（2）灵活的设计特点增加了选民的不满声音；(3) 对于政府间组织不满意且维持现状的成员来说，它们在政治上是可行的。为了验证我的论点，我分析了 1945 年至 2012 年间创建的 1,200 个 LIGO 的原始数据。多元统计分析表明，LIGO 的创建是为了响应不断变化的成员环境，这些环境对现有 IGO 提出了变革的需求。我用两个重要的 LIGO 的案例研究来补充定量分析：国际开发署 (IDA) 和联合国环境规划署 (UNEP)。我的理论建议对国际合作如何演变进行重大反思，并在日益多极化的世界中对全球治理产生广泛影响。