ABSTRACT

It has become commonplace to observe the growing pervasiveness and impact of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). And yet the three central approaches in International Relations (IR) theory, Liberalism, Realism and Constructivism, overlook or ignore the importance of NGOs, both theoretically and politically.

Offering a timely reappraisal of NGOs, and a parallel reappraisal of theory in IR—the academic discipline entrusted with revealing and explaining world politics, this book uses practice theory, global governance, and new institutionalism to theorize NGO accountability and analyze the history of NGOs. This study uses evidence from empirical data from Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia and from studies that range across the issue-areas of peacebuilding, ethnic reconciliation, and labor rights to show IR theory has often prejudged and misread the agency of NGOs.  

Drawing together a group of leading international relations theorists, this book explores the frontiers of new research on the role of such forces in world politics and is required reading for students, NGO activists, and policy-makers.

part I|38 pages

Introduction

chapter |36 pages

Introduction

NGOing

part II|26 pages

Theory

chapter 1|24 pages

How to study NGOs in practice

A relational primer

chapter 2|17 pages

Global governance and NGOs

Reconceptualizing international relations for the twenty-first century

chapter 3|23 pages

Network institutionalism

A new synthesis for NGO studies

chapter 5|29 pages

Being an NGO in the OECD

chapter 8|26 pages

NGOs in peacebuilding

High expectations, mixed results

chapter 9|25 pages

Follow the partners

Agency and explanation in the color revolutions

chapter 10|25 pages

Heart of paradox

War, rape and NGOs in the DR Congo

part V|30 pages

Conclusions and implications

chapter 11|28 pages

Conclusion

NGO research and International Relations theory