A Relational Approach to NGOs in Global Politics/Beyond Cooperation and Competition

Abstract

How do nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) create the spaces in which they act, despite all the odds against them? How do NGOs seem to meet the requirements of the moment, often being in the right place at the right time? Why is the sum of NGO activity frequently greater than the parts? These questions cannot be answered simply by looking at NGOs’ organizational attributes or outcomes. To truly grasp the power of NGOs it is necessary to examine how they relate to each other, as well as with states, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, and other actors. This volume argues for more detailed attention to the forms and processes of interactions between NGOs, and a broader conceptualization of NGO–NGO relationships to better understand their power and agency in global politics. It develops core conceptual building blocks—NGOing, a typology of social interactions, and a typology of relational power and its effects—and explores them in empirical studies of NGOs on a range of topics, including legal environmental conflicts, humanitarian assistance, counterterrorism, climate politics, and social and economic rights. The volume makes three main contributions to the literature on NGOs and global politics: it expands the understanding of NGOing; promotes synthetic knowledge about the power of NGO interactions and their effects; and opens up new perspectives on processes of global governing.