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A force for peace : Expanding the role of the UN secretary-general under Trygve Lie, 1946-1953

Ravndal, Ellen Jenny LU (2017) In Global Governance 23(3). p.443-459
Abstract

The UN Charter describes him or her merely as the “chief administrative officer of the organization,” yet today the Secretary-General is widely recognized as the UN’s chief political representative. How did this transformation and expansion of the office from administrative to political take place? Existing scholarship tends to emphasize the contribution made by Dag Hammarskjöld. This article challenges that story on two accounts: first, by pointing out the importance of institutional factors and not just the officeholder’s personality; and second, by examining the contribution made by Trygve Lie, the UN’s first Secretary-General. The article establishes a conceptual framework based on institutional theory to understand the role of the... (More)

The UN Charter describes him or her merely as the “chief administrative officer of the organization,” yet today the Secretary-General is widely recognized as the UN’s chief political representative. How did this transformation and expansion of the office from administrative to political take place? Existing scholarship tends to emphasize the contribution made by Dag Hammarskjöld. This article challenges that story on two accounts: first, by pointing out the importance of institutional factors and not just the officeholder’s personality; and second, by examining the contribution made by Trygve Lie, the UN’s first Secretary-General. The article establishes a conceptual framework based on institutional theory to understand the role of the Secretary-General and analyzes Lie’s contribution in the period 1946-1953.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Executive heads, Institutionalism, International organization, Trygve Lie, UN Secretary-General
in
Global Governance
volume
23
issue
3
pages
17 pages
publisher
Lynne Rienner Publishers
external identifiers
  • scopus:85027010828
  • scopus:85119132269
ISSN
1075-2846
DOI
10.1163/19426720-02303007
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
33a1eb4d-4442-4b1f-9d42-d3a750da9702
date added to LUP
2017-09-01 13:12:48
date last changed
2024-04-29 18:08:35
@article{33a1eb4d-4442-4b1f-9d42-d3a750da9702,
  abstract     = {{<p>The UN Charter describes him or her merely as the “chief administrative officer of the organization,” yet today the Secretary-General is widely recognized as the UN’s chief political representative. How did this transformation and expansion of the office from administrative to political take place? Existing scholarship tends to emphasize the contribution made by Dag Hammarskjöld. This article challenges that story on two accounts: first, by pointing out the importance of institutional factors and not just the officeholder’s personality; and second, by examining the contribution made by Trygve Lie, the UN’s first Secretary-General. The article establishes a conceptual framework based on institutional theory to understand the role of the Secretary-General and analyzes Lie’s contribution in the period 1946-1953.</p>}},
  author       = {{Ravndal, Ellen Jenny}},
  issn         = {{1075-2846}},
  keywords     = {{Executive heads; Institutionalism; International organization; Trygve Lie; UN Secretary-General}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{443--459}},
  publisher    = {{Lynne Rienner Publishers}},
  series       = {{Global Governance}},
  title        = {{A force for peace : Expanding the role of the UN secretary-general under Trygve Lie, 1946-1953}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/19426720-02303007}},
  doi          = {{10.1163/19426720-02303007}},
  volume       = {{23}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}