This article engages in the discussion on international organisations as global players. IOs appear as paradoxical arenas of regulatory co-operation. Although they have been perceived as influential, they operate with unequal resources and tend to be increasingly contested. While acknowledging their role in transnational policy framing, the article discusses the power of IOs critically. It stresses their dependence (on states and external funds) and analyses how these organisations attempt to remain relevant policy players. The case of the transnational governance of higher education as a secondary policy field sheds light on the relations between international and European organisations (Council of Europe, European Commission, OECD, UNESCO, the World Bank). In order to explain how IOs that face limited financial resources seek to maintain their position in transnational policymaking, the demonstration highlights the material, practical and ideational aspects of interorganisational coordination. The article is based on empirical research conducted in several countries: over 50 semi-structured qualitative interviews, archives of main IOs, and institutional documents.

本文参与了有关国际组织作为全球参与者的讨论。IO 似乎是监管合作的矛盾领域。尽管它们被认为具有影响力，但它们以不平等的资源运作，并且往往受到越来越多的竞争。在承认他们在跨国政策制定中的作用的同时，本文批判性地讨论了 IO 的力量。它强调了它们（对国家和外部资金）的依赖，并分析了这些组织如何试图保持相关的政策参与者。高等教育跨国治理作为次要政策领域的案例揭示了国际组织与欧洲组织（欧洲委员会、欧盟委员会、经合组织、教科文组织、世界银行）之间的关系。为了解释面临有限财政资源的国际组织如何寻求维持其在跨国决策中的地位，该演示突出了组织间协调的物质、实践和理念方面。这篇文章基于在几个国家进行的实证研究：超过 50 次半结构化的定性访谈、主要 IO 的档案和机构文件。