Informal modes of global governance have proliferated since the 1990s. Within formal intergovernmental organizations, informal procedures and means of influence affect outcomes whilst, around all these institutions, even more informal networks shape agendas. This volume analyzes all three types of informal governance.

Introduction: 1. Informality in global governance: an introduction Kenneth W. Abbott and Thomas J. Biersteker; Part I. Informality of Institutions: 2. From complex interdependence to complex governance Miles Kahler; 3. Soft pooling: how IIGOs govern collective decision-making without delegation Duncan Snidal and Felicity Vabulas; 4. Informal governance in the development regime: a political economy perspective on two types of informal organizations Bernhard Reinsberg; 5. Informal governance of international climate policy Axel Michaelowa, Katharina Michaelowa and Chandreyee Namhata; 6. Why do states cooperate informally? Comparing secret agreements in Europe and the Middle East Barbara Koremenos and Melissa Carlson; Part II. Informality Within Institutions: 7. International consequences of domestic politics: how divided government drives informal US influence in the World Bank Erasmus Kersting and Christopher Kilby; 8. Knowledge guardians in informal networks: how international organizations retain knowledge of strategic errors Heidi Hardt; Part III. Informality Around Institutions: 9. The role of transnational policy networks in informal governance: creating the office of the ombudsperson at the United Nations Thomas J. Biersteker; Part IV. Normative Issues: 10. Can informal governance promote procedural justice? Lora Anne Viola; Conclusion: 11. Conclusions: a research agenda on informal global governance Kenneth W. Abbott and Thomas J. Biersteker.