Karns and Mingst - International organizations - Nonstate Actors



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[email protected] K & M – Chapter 6: Non-state Actors – NGOs, Networks, and Social Movements In: Margaret P. Karns and Karen A. Mingst (Eds.). International organizations: the politics and processes of global governance/ 2nd ed. Pp. 219 - 254. Notes:  Emergence of the non-state actors as important actors of global governance o ICBL  International Treaty to Ban Landmines (1993 – 1999) o OECD MAI permanently halted  Rules dealing with multilateral investment, aiding the spread of MNCs and FDA o Role: framing and reframing an issue discourse at hand, dissemination of information The dark side of non-state actors o 9/11 o Terrorist groups and networks, the Mafia, drug traffickers, pirates, paramilitary forces o New technologies, decentralization, rapid adjustment of roles and strategies o Al-Qaida – loose network of terrorist organizations committed to Islam fundamentals Let’s define: Non-governmental organizations o = Voluntary organizations formed by individuals to achieve a common purpose, often oriented beyond themselves or to the public good 221  Do not possess a mandate from government, do not wish to share gov. power o Vary in  the width of issue areas  in terms of being local/regional/global  in sources of funding (member contributions/governments/trusts and benefactors) o Provide pressure on governments, services, advice and intelligence, development assistance o Subject to the law of the state under which they operate; may be supported/restricted or banned/monitored and regulated Typology o NGO/INGO – voluntary organizations formed by individuals pursuing common purposes and/or policy positions; often active in support of public good;  differences in position and funding:  GONGO = government organized; GRINGO = government regulated; BINGO = business and industry; AGO = anti-government; DONGO = donor dominate  NGOs by involvement  Humanitarian relief (Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam) o + development, healthcare, agriculture, reforestation, microcredit, education o Sometimes replace state-governed provision of public goods (state failure) - E.g. Bangladesh, Somalia  Lack of government often filled by ‘dark side’ NGOs too  Advocacy o Human rights, peace, disarmament, indigenous people’s rights, labour rights, climate change, … 1    [email protected] o o New ideas into policy debates, framing of issues in public discourses, … Share “the centrality of values or principled ideas, the belief that individuals can make a difference, the creative use of information and employment of sophisticated political strategies to in targeting their campaigns” 226 Focus: human rights abuses, wildlife protection, regulating types of human activity (weapons, pollution, …) Aim at making a difference: changing behaviour of governments and IGOs, adjusting policies, changing law o o  o o o o o Roles o Gather and publicize information o Frame issues for public consumption o Create and mobilize networks; enhance public participation o Advocate changes in policies and governance o Promote new norms; monitoring o Participate in global diplomacy o Perform functions of governance in absence of state authority Transnational networks and coalitions – informal and formal linkages among NGOs and ad hoc groups on behalf of a certain issue (e.g. ICBL)  Era of communication: multi-level linkages to other organizations across the globe  Enhances power, information transfer, reach  Equivalent of sub-contracting: INGO outsource relief delivery to grassroots organizations; specialization among nodes (fundraising, intelligence, provision of goods, coordination, …) Experts, Epistemic communities – experts drawn from governments, research institutes, IOs, and non-gov. community, usually gathered to ponder about a specific issue and propose policy  in the complex world we live in, knowledge cannot be taken for granted; needs to be assembled, nurtured, exchanged  formation of epistemic communities – linkages between experts in particular areas; sharing and refining of normative beliefs, understanding causes, seeking policy solutions  scientific, environmental, health issues – knowledge intensive issues  global warming, corruption, … Foundations: non-profit organizations established for charitable or community purposes (e.g. Wellcome Trust)  funded by individuals, families, corporations; serve public purpose MNCs: private actors doing business in three or more countries – for profit  Important part of the global economy  States strive to regulate them; mutual influence Multi-stakeholder actors: Loose alliance of actors affected by or interested in an issue or a decision  Inc. government. agencies, IGOs, NMCs, NGOs, religious groups, individuals  Sort through conflicting perspectives, establish a communication platform 2 [email protected] Social movements: Large, generally informal coalitions of mass public, individuals and organizations aimed at social change  May form around  major social cleavages: class, religion, language and ethnicity  progressive goals: human rights, development, responsible government  frame issues, help to forge new collective identities o A global civil society?  Civil society = not just advocacy groups, but also communities of professionals, labour unions, chambers of commerce, religious groups, ethnic associations, cultural groups, sporting associations, political parties, media, …  An arena in which people engage in non-legalistic, spontaneous, customary forms of association to pursue goals The growth of non-state actors o Earliest occurrences:  the Anti-Slavery campaign (1787) – societies dedicated to abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania, England, France  Peace societies in Europe (1849) – origination of what later became the Permanent Court of Arbitration  1900 – 425 peace societies worldwide o 19 century  Labour unions, promotion of free trade, intergovernmental cooperation  Functional international regimes  Red Cross (ICRC – 1860s) – War casualties, rights of POV, neutrality of medical personnel  The idea of League of Nations supported by non-state actors  League to Enforce Peace, the League of Nations Society of London  The UN covenant: promotion of NGOs and grassroots civil society orgs.  Between 1930 – 1945, the influence of NGOs diminished; world preoccupied with security threats  Post-war rise: 1200 NGOs participated in the San Francisco conference (UN) o Explaining the acceleration  Since the mid-1970s an exponential growth in NGOs and other NSA  WWI, WWII – human rights, peace  Globalization: Advances in communication technologies, issues increasingly spill over into surrounding areas – everything is everyone’s concern  Secularization of the West; rise of democracy NGOs relationships to IGOs o Types of NGO activities in IGOs  Consultation in regime creation and implementation  Lobbying  Surveillance of governmental activities  Involvement in international program implementation  Participation in decisionmaking  Socializing into and synchronizing with the global governance regime 3 o   [email protected] The UN  Nationwide NGOs granted consultative status in ECOSOC and its agencies, roster NGOs may participate on the basis of invitation  NGO liaison office in Geneva  Access to committees in the GA – 4 NGOs have privileged access (observers):  ICRC, the Inter-parliamentary Union, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta  Security council consultations with NGOs on certain issues (e.g. the Great Lakes region of Africa crisis; Sudan)  The UN agencies  The UN’s 19 specialized agencies provide additional access points for NGOs  The ILO – a unique tripartite system rooted in its constitution; labour organizations are its inseparable part  UNESCO – committed to “consultation and cooperation with NGOs”  Many UN agencies subcontract to NGOs  Major INGOs serve in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, chaired by the Undersecretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs  Many states and IGO secretariats feel intimidated by the NGO pressure, NGOs not always welcome; rivalry among NGOs o The major economic institutions  the World Bank  lobbied into taking into account environmental consequences of its programmes and to adopt women-in-development agenda  the Bank publishes working papers, contributes to information sharing  1990s – ‘shift to civil society’ – opening to cooperation with NGOs o formal and informal links to NGOs  The IMF  Somewhat less friendly towards civil society groups and NGOs  GATT and The WTO likewise  The WTO  Symposia, regular secretariat meetings with NGOs o Relationships with the EU  Well-developed civil society culture, many influential NGOs  CSOs = civil society organizations (NGO + advocacy groups)  CSOs focus on the EC and the EP  CSOs help to make the European decision-making bodies effective and legitimate  Open and decentralized processes, big influence of CSOs NGO influence and effectiveness o Almost impossible to measure, considering the vast scope and multiple levels of interaction o No conventional power, limited resources, dependent on the use of ‘soft power’ o Gain power from credibility in information gathering, expertize, moral authority o Possess operational flexibility compared to governments and IGOs o Possess alternative source of (democratic) legitimacy o Measuring NGOs influence 4 o  [email protected]  Number of NGOs  Prestige and recognition of NGOs o Effectiveness  Measuring differs in levels of operation and on whether it is advocacy or provision  Depends on openness of government, maturity of civil society, moral authority  Evaluation: long-term and practical in terms  Limits: fragmented agendas, failing communication, countering interests, money o NGOs problems  NGOs are just another political actors – they promote their interests first  have a democratic deficit, are often unaccountable and not transparent enough  emergence of the humanitarian ‘industry’ – competition over resources, rent seeking  NGOs may misbehave  Large NGO’s oligopoly; grassroots voices lacking NSA and state sovereignty? o Liberals: sovereignty is being compromised and challenged by the global civil society o Constructivists: important in norms setting, ergo critical actors; may help to shape state interests and therefore enter international politics from within o Realists: not impressed.  5
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