ABSTRACT
Private non-state actors have increasingly emerged as the focus of scholarly work within the field of International Political Economy (IPE) and Development Studies. Moving beyond strictly Realist and/or Westphalian paradigms, IPE as an emergent discipline has sought to fully recognise the potential clout of non-state agents in shaping the contours of economic globalisation – and therein of interstate power relations and sovereignties. This chapter examines the role of non-state actors with regards to sustainable development, sovereignty and neo-colonialism in Africa, both north and south of the Sahara. It examines business associations and corporate actors with regards to PSD and economic development and NGOs and civil society with regards to trade justice. The chapter explores the role of Unilever in pushing forward PSD strategies as part of the United Nations Global Compact, which in turn has had a marked influence on the ‘pro-poor’ growth policies of the European Commission.
