'Ranjit Lall's original and persuasive argument is that institutional performance depends on linkages to transnational networks and deep engagement with civil society, which enhance policy autonomy and limit state interference. All serious students of international institutions should read this book.' Robert O. Keohane, Princeton University
1. International institutions and the performance puzzle; 2. A theory of institutional performance; 3. Learning from assessment: quantitative tests on fifty-four institutions; 4. Performing for scraps: comparing the FAO, the WFP, and IFAD; 5. The performance of life: comparing the WHO, UNAIDS, Gavi, and GFATM; 6. Effective but unaccountable?: autonomy and the politics of reform; 7. The Politics of performance: contributions and implications: contributions and implications.