ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the practices and processes of linked ecologies - formal or informal alliances - performed by individuals who are the constitutive parts of norm change processes and who have moved between international organizations, academic institutions, think tanks, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and member states. It's main aim in concentrating on linked ecologies in norm change is four-fold: First, the chapter can enrich the literature on agency by focusing on the working level. Second, it contributes to the unpacking of agency in norm change processes by showing how informal and formal policy alliances are formed. Third, it also expands the theoretical understanding of these processes using the sociology of professions and practice theory to advance constructivist theorizing of norm change in international organizations. Fourth, the United Nations (UN) can be seen as a competitive arena where informal policy alliances, or 'linked ecologies', put forward ideas on how to solve policy issues.
