The most immediate indicator of whether states seek greater or lesser coordination through formal international arrangements is their entrance and exit from formal international organizations (IOs). Nonetheless, theory has paid relatively less attention to the actual circumstances of the departure side of this exchange. Exit from International Organizations offers a welcome investigation into debates concerning institutional change with a methodical examination of the circumstances of voluntary withdrawal and forced suspension from IOs across a range of circumstances and historical time. As such, it offers an important contribution to international relations theory in its efforts to understand how membership affects state preferences in their dealings with IOs.

Making the initial distinction between intentional and unintentional suspension from IOs, the book's core six chapters use a parallel format in examining the predictors of exit, its consequences, and three historical case studies aligning with the “large-n” examinations of both types of exit. In this way, it should appeal to audiences oriented toward a variety of mixed methodologies. Among its many strong points, Exit from International Organizations offers a rigorous dataset of withdrawal from 534 IOs since 1913. Reproduced in an appendix to the book, the details offer