Preface -- Introduction -- Towards a Theory of International Organizations -- On the Anthropology of the United Nations System -- Power in the Un Superbureaucracy: A New Byzantium? -- Permanence and Innovation in International Organisations -- A Typology of United Nations Organisations -- Selected Case Studies -- UNCTAD, Controversy Over International Trade -- International Secretariat or Servant of the G77?: a Portrait of UNCTAD* -- Unctad and Its Shareholders: Dialogue for Betterment -- Unesco, A Secretariat Under Fire -- The 'Politicization' of Un Specialized Agencies: The UNESCO SYNDROME -- The UNESCO Secretariat 'Decolonised'? Geographical Distribution of the Staff, 1972–84 -- A Regional Perspective -- Experts of the United Nations in Third World Development: A View From Asia -- Conclusion -- The United Nations: Unhappy Family