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9 - Nongovernmental Organizations in International Relations (Theory)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2013

By
Peter J. Spiro
Edited by
Jeffrey L. Dunoff  and
Mark A. Pollack
Jeffrey L. Dunoff
Affiliation:
Temple University, Philadelphia
Mark A. Pollack
Affiliation:
Temple University, Philadelphia
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Summary

Non-state power is now a fact of international life. Nonetheless, the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in international relations remains undertheorized. A burgeoning social science literature relating to NGOs has emerged in recent years. However, this work tends to be narrow in scope, confronting discrete elements of NGO activity. This is unsurprising, given the novelty of much of the activity and the need for descriptive accounts in a range of contexts. International relations (IR) theorists have been late to the party. To the extent that IR theorists have attempted to situate NGOs in international process, for the most part, it has been relative to the state. This approach fails to recognize the consequentiality of NGO activity not directly implicating state action.

This chapter sketches a systematization of NGO activity relating to international relations. It describes four primary pathways for the exercise of NGO power: through and against states, international organizations (IOs), firms, and each other. Only by situating NGO power relative to state and non-state entities does the breadth and novelty of the NGO role in today's global decision-making come into full relief.

Type
Chapter
Information
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Law and International Relations
The State of the Art
 , pp. 223 - 243
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

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