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Social Movements and Non Governmental Organizations
Abstracts (english)
Dieter
Rucht
Multinational Movement Organizations: meaning, conditions, perspectives
FJNSB, pp. 30-41
In his introducing contribution, Dieter Rucht tries to systematize
the confusion of concepts between Non Governmental Organizations, Non
Profit Organizations, and Third Sector. Rucht defines Multinational
Movement Organizations (Multinationale Bewegungsorganisationen; MBO)
as networks of movement organizations which (not only in themes but
also in structures) stretch out beyond national boundaries and therefore
have an international, transnational or supranational character. He
identifies different structural types of MBOs and analyzes the conditions
for a growing acceptance and status of NGOs in the policy process and
the mass media. As the main structural problems of NGOs, Rucht identifies
competition, conflicts, increasing bureaucracy, and commercialization.
Christian Lahusen
International campaigns
patterns and context of global collective action
FJNSB, pp. 42-51
International campaigns of Greenpeace and Amnesty International
are the basis for Christian Lahusen's analysis of patterns and conditions
of global collective action. International political action leads to
the necessity of organizational and structural change of movement organizations.
In this context, Lahusen describes dynamics of collective action, mobilization
efforts of NGOs, the increasing complexity of the organizational environment,
and coordination problems of international campaigns. The author concludes
that the success of international protest action depends on the ability
of movement organizations to integrate different national and international
levels of action and to develop adequate coordination strategies concerning
the interface between the local and the global.
Annette Zimmer
What does third sector research mean for international NGOs and movement
networks?
FJNSB, pp. 52-60
In her contribution, Annette Zimmer characterizes international
research on the third sector as a primarily empirical project which
pragmatically focusses on the needs of movement entrepreneurs. Thus,
third sector research functions as a consultant for professional lobbying,
networking, management, marketing, and fundraising. Zimmer provides
an outline of the crucial issues and structures of international third
sector research and points at parallels to recent discussion on communitarianism,
international civil society, and the resource mobilization approach.
In her conclusion, the author concludes that the usefulness of third
sector research for the analysis of NGOs lies primarilly in two aspects:
(1) the relevant knowledge it has produced regarding the allocation
and management of resources and personnel; (2) the establishment of
an interdisciplinary forum for reflection on movement action and the
collective identity of NGOs.
Heike Walk/Achim Brunnengräber
"Ad hoc alliances" - a new socio-political perspective?
FJNSB, pp. 70-82
Two articles analyze the UN-conference on global climate (Klimagipfel)
which took place in Berlin in 1995. In the first contribution, Heike
Walk and Achim Brunnengräber point out that (the development of) ad-hoc
alliances between NGOs and governmental or for-profit organizations
could cause a concentration on the politically practicable to the detriment
of basic reforms in environmental politics. Strategic openness and consensual
political styles are enhanced both by NGOs, which face difficulties
in resource mobilization, and by governmental and for-profit organizations
trying to legitimize their own policies, to improve their image, or
to benefit from the NGOs' competences. Walk and Brunnengräber analyze
central aspects of strategic alliances in the context of the UN climate
conference in Berlin and point at the risk for NGOs to lose their radical
impetus in their dialogue with the political- administrative system.
Daniel Janett
Alliance systems of NGOs in climate policy
report of a case study on the UN climate conference in Berlin
FJNSB, pp. 83-89
Contrary to Walk and Brunnengräber, Daniel Janett stresses
the advantages of these alliances. State and market actors constitute
the political opportunity structure for social movements. Janett states
that without such alliances (i.e., a close cooperation with these actors)
the success of social movements such as the peace or women's movements
cannot be explained. In his analysis of NGO networks in the context
of the climate conference, Janett diffentiates between two segments
with different logics of action: (1) highly professional lobby groups
(such as the Climate Action Network) that aim at influencing the UN
negotiation system, and (2) a grassroots-oriented "mobilization
segment" that focussed on the mobilization of public opinion. Janett
concludes that only a strategic mix of both action logics - cooperative
lobbying and the mobilizing of constituencies - may guarantee successful
collective action.
Ines Holthaus
Towards new developments of the international women's movement
reactions on global processes
FJNSB, pp. 61-69
Ines Holthaus describes the effects of UN Women's Conferences
for the development of an international women's movement. This movement
integrates international women's networks, national women's organizations
as well as individuals with key linking functions. The structures of
these movement organizations partly result from adaptation to the requirements
and criteria of the UN and donor organizations. Communication and cooperation
in the context of the women's conferences played a vital role in forging
the international women's movement. Simultaneously, the movement gained
insight into the interrelatedness of global ecological, political, and
social problems with specific women's issues. Further, many women's
organizations have developed a strong emphasis on lobbying and cooperation
with governmental institutions. In her conclusion, Holthaus stresses
the need for a stronger involvement of national women's movements in
order to strengthen the transparency and democratic quality of negotiations
and decision making within international movement networks.
Herbert Kitschelt
Democracy theory and change of political participation in institutional
design of post-industrial societies
FJNSB, pp. 61-69
Issues in democracic theory are the topic of the essay by Herbert
Kitschelt. The author points out that the binary conception that lies
at the basis of normative theories of democracy - either participatory
democracy or elite democracy - fails to describe the complexity of democratic
processes of decision making. Individual choice between different alternatives
(freedom), social equality, and civilness as substantive criteria for
the public good are as difficult to combine as efficacy, representation,
and innovation as processual criteria for political decision making.
Political decentralization in the USA has often been demanded by the
political right and has lead to advantages not for the poor but for
the rich. Direct democratic procedures in the United States, therefore,
have increased social disparities concerning life chances and political
participation. In the light of such tensions among different aspects
of the public good, unreflected demands for democratic reforms must
be considered politically naive. Modern democracies often integrate
elements of majoritarian, consensual and participatory models of democracy,
resulting in "mixed" patterns of decision making, in which
political parties, interest groups as well as social movements are involved.
Both participatory and elitist theories of democracy cannot adequately
grasp this multiplicity of forms of political participation.
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