Support from Above: International Organizations, Summits, and Leader Survival

Abstract While existing literature indicates a variety of political consequences caused by IO membership, little attention has been paid to IOs’ impact on leaders. This article argues that IO membership has a positive effect on leader survival through two major mechanisms: IOs carrying information and IOs raising national well-being. The beneficial effect of IOs on leader survival, moreover, is stronger for IOs that regularly or periodically hold leader summits. This is not only because these IOs are more important, but also because IO summits increase leaders’ visibility and serve as an endorsement for leaders’ power-consolidating behavior. Using data on leader failures and IO membership, this article shows that IO membership has a negative effect on leader failures, and this effect is much stronger for IOs that hold regular summits.