Transnational Interest Group Effects on Democracy and Sustainability

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

Transnational interest group activities are significant for democracy and sustainability across levels of government. They affect information, norms and ideas diffusion; build arenas for dialogue between domestic and global actors; provide funding and services; and “name and shame”–thereby profoundly shaping how domestic governments, citizens, and ecosystems relate to each other through the global sphere.

Interest groups have traditionally been viewed as domestic actors, but the past ten years have seen rapidly growing scholarly interest in the transnational (including regional and global) activities of interest groups. Despite the importance of transnational interest group activities, we know little about their effects on democracy and sustainability. However, this is important to know, given that interest groups are increasingly entering new relatively unknown forms of governance such as partnerships (e.g. Ethical Tea Partnership and Global Fishing Watch), transgovernmental networks (e.g. BRICS Forum and IBSA Dialogue Forum), and new types of transnational private arrangements (e.g. Forest Stewardship Council and Marine Stewardship Council) in a broad range of policy areas.

This panel seeks to add knowledge on the consequences of transnational interest group activities on democracy and sustainability. Each of the papers contributes with theory-guided empirical analyses, together addressing the following questions: (1) What are the effects of this engagement on democracy? (2) What are the effects of this engagement on sustainable development governance? In all, the different papers will push forward theories of transnational actors and sustainable development governance.

In addressing these questions, this panel speaks to two bodies of research, seeking to extend discussion of the effects of transnational interest groups on democracy and sustainability. Studies of transnational actors have increased over the past two decades, yet existing global governance scholarship is primarily occupied with the study of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), INGO populations, and their impact on governance. Here we seek to give democracy and sustainability as outcomes a greater place in the discussion, by considering the incentives of INGOs with short time horizons, even as outcomes such as democracy and sustainability require long-term solutions. The panel brings together scholars from several regions of the world with a range of empirical and methodological approaches.

Sub Unit

• Division 35: Political Organizations and Parties

Cosponsor

• Division 17: International Collaboration

Individual Presentations

• NGO Advocacy, Information, and Domestic Democracy - Elizabeth Bloodgood, Concordia University; Sarah S. Stroup, Middlebury College; Wendy H. Wong, University of Toronto

• Policy Diffusion and the Development of CSO Regulatory Regimes in East Africa - Anthony James DeMattee, Emory University

• Racism, Religious Humanitarianism, and Transnational Charitable Organizations - Rafeel Wasif, University of Washington; Rafeel Wasif, University of Washington

• Conditions for Sustainable Leadership: Corporations in Global Climate Governance - Lisa Maria Dellmuth, Stockholm University; Darren R. Halpin, Australian National University

Chair

• Jonas Tallberg Stockholm University

Discussant

• Clifford Bob Duquesne University