Routes of Knowledge: Toward a methodological framework for tracing the historical impact of international organizations

Recent trends in the historiography of international institutions are occupied with tracing historical impact on national contexts. There is, however, no consensus on how to conduct this type of analysis methodologically. This article examines the methodological challenges arising from this type of research. While a great deal of inspiration can be gathered from contemporary impact assessment studies, substantial conceptual and theoretical development is needed to make the idea of impact operational and feasible in historical studies. It is, we argue, through the focus on impact levels, space and movement that the idea of tracing historical impact becomes a promising research agenda.