Bureaucratic Pathologies in Global Hunger Governance : The Case of Ethiopia and Nepal

Sammanfattning

This thesis tests and builds upon Finnemore and Barnett´s (1999) theory to answer to what extent bureaucratic pathologies explain the United Nations´ efforts to achieve SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) in Ethiopia and Nepal. As part of a comparative-case analysis, documents by the United Nations and empirical evidence from diverse disciplines are assessed. The analysis explores whether irrationality of rationalisation, universalism, the normalisation of deviance, organisational insulation, and cultural contestation can be observed in the United Nation´s effort to arrive at SDG 2 in Ethiopia and Nepal. The thesis concludes that while differing in intensity, all five mechanisms can be observed in both cases, generating or reproducing dysfunctional behaviour by the United Nations in Ethiopia and Nepal.