The Ashgate Research Companion to Non-State Actors

by Bob Reinalda

Overview

How do non-state actors matter in international relations? This volume recognizes three types of non-state actor: non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and transnational corporations. It illustrates how they play roles alongside nation-states and are interrelated in matters of international regulation and coordination. After an introductory part on current qualitative and quantitative sources, this comprehensive collection of state-of-the-art essays is comprised of four main thematic parts: Part II examines actors other than governments, such as transnational religious actors, business representatives and experts, and also parliamentarians and agencies set up by IGOs. Part III studies the perceptions and understandings in political philosophy, international law and international relations theory. It questions concepts used (civil society, NGO, governance) and covers the limitations to be kept in mind. Part IV analyses the nature and impact of non-state actors. Chapters discuss processes within international bureaucracies (diplomacy, dynamism, bureaucratic power, contribution to democracy) and the quintessence of deliberation and decision making within NGOs and IGOs and of implementation, accountability and dispute settlement. Part V studies specific worlds of non-state actors: humanitarian aid, human rights, security, the North-South divide, health, trade and environment. Accessible and articulately written, The Ashgate Research Companion to Non-State Actors is aimed at a wide readership of scholars and practitioners in international relations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781409489207
Publisher:	Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	03/28/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Bob Reinalda is a Researcher in Political Science at Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He has written a history of international organizations between 1815 and 2009, covering both intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. He has also co-edited studies about autonomous policy making by, decision making within, and implementation by international organizations (with Bertjan Verbeek and Jutta Joachim). He is currently preparing a biographical dictionary of secretaries-general of intergovernmental organizations.

Table of Contents

Contents: Part I Introduction and Sources: Non-state actors in the international system of states, Bob Reinalda; The Yearbook of International Organizations and quantitative non-state actor research, Elizabeth Bloodgood; Researching transnational history: the example of peace activism, Thomas Richard Davies; The United Nations Intellectual History Project and the role of ideas, Francis Baert. Part II Actors Other than Governments:Transnational religious actors, John T.S. Madeley and Jeffrey Haynes; Transnational corporations and the regulation of business at the global level, Karsten Ronit; Unravelling the political role of experts and expertise in the professional services industry, Angela Wigger; Parliaments and parliamentarians as international actors, Andrés Malamud and Stelios Stavridis; Autonomous agencies of the European Union as non-state actors, Martijn Groenleer. Part III Perceptions and Understanding: Liberal political philosophy: the role of non-state actors and considerations of global justice, Geoff Gordon and Roland Pierik; Non-governmental organizations and non-state actors in international law, Anna-Karin Lindblom; Intergovernmental organizations in international relations theory and as actors in world politics, Joel E. Oestreich; Inter-organizational relations: an emerging research programme, Rafael Biermann; Civil society and NGO: far from unproblematic concepts, Norbert Götz; Non-state and state actors in global governance, Martin Koch; Limitations of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, Dennis Dijkzeul and William E. DeMars. Part IV Nature and Impact: Non-state actors and the transformation of diplomacy, Brian Hocking; Dynamism and resilience of intergovernmental organizations in a world of persisting state power and rising non-state actors, Yves Schemeil; International bureaucracies: organizing world politics, Steffen Bauer and Silke Weinlich; Interest representation and advocacy within the European Union: the making of democ

Editorial Reviews

'A wide-ranging state of the art assessment by European and North American academics on non-state actors. The articles on IGOs, NGOs and TNCs are theoretically grounded and steeped in politics. A sophisticated addition to the topic, the book will guide future research.' Karen Mingst, University of Kentucky, USA 'One of the most comprehensive and thorough reference works available on the power, politics and impact of NGOs, IGOs and TNCs in world affairs. Reinalda has masterfully organized the contributions of over 40 of the world’s top scholars on the hottest topic in international relations today. No scholar, practitioner or serious student of international relations should be without this indispensable guide to the complex world of non-state actors.' James P. Muldoon, Jr., Rutgers University-Newark, USA 'The spread and influence of non-state actors in the international system keeps on growing. But they are poorly understood, as their diversity makes them elusive. This invaluable and comprehensive Research Companion, drawing on a wide range of expertise, reveals non-state actors in all their variety and sheds new light on their operation and impact.' Nicholas Bayne, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK ’This Ashgate Research Companion series is designed to provide up-to-date, state-of-the-art reviews of a topic and its associated important literature... Some 42 experts wrote 34 chapters, and the viewpoint is very internationally oriented, instead of being focused on just one country’s experiences. The chapters each have one further suggested reading, but there is a more extensive 65-page bibliography at the end of the collection for all of the works mentioned in the essays... This high-level work is not for the reference shelves, but instead belongs in the general circulating collection of university libraries. It will be of most use to policy specialists, academics, and graduate students. Faculty should be notified of its availa

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