NGO Challenge for International Relations Theory

Dr. William E. DeMars is Professor & Chair, Department of Government, Wofford College, USA. Dennis Dijkzeul is the Executive Director of the Institute of International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict and Professor of Conflict and Organization Research at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.

NGOs have been challenging international relations theory for some time, and this essential volume clearly articulates the many ways it has. More importantly, it also charts a path for future theorizing. Michael Barnett, University Professor of International Affairs and Political Science, George Washington UniversityThis new volume on NGOs provides a root and branch critique of how all the major IR theories overlook the politics of NGOs. Redeploying core themes of power and practice, it provides an in-depth understanding of the global order, locating the ‘bridging’ role that NGOs play for many issues and across many societies. The chapters offer new insights into the strategies and impacts of NGOs in international affairs, and the conclusion synthesizes the various ways in which NGOs force radical reorientations of IR theory. This book should be read by any student or scholar of international relations. Anthony F. Lang, Jr., Chair in International Political Theory and Director of the Centre for Global Constitutionalism, University of St Andrews"The NGO Challenge for International Relations Theory is an important and thought-provoking book that consolidates multiple perspectives and offers sound and novel advice for NGO researchers. It will primarily interest doctoral students and faculty specializing in NGO studies, as well as IR theorists concerned with ontology, epistemology, and methodology."George E. Mitchell, The Powell School of the City College of New York

• PART 1: Introduction: 1. William E. DeMars and Dennis Dijkzeul – NGOing: Practice, Bridging and Power PART 2: Theory 2. Morten Skumsrud Andersen – How to Study NGOs in Practice: A Relational Approach, 3. Karen A. Mingst and James P. Muldoon, Jr. – Global Governance and NGOs: Reconceptualizing International Relations for the 21st Century, 4. Anna Ohanyan – Network Institutionalism: A New Synthesis for NGO Studies PART 3: Crosscutting Evidence: History, Region, Accountability 5. Bob Reinalda – The Coevolution of Non-Governmental and Intergovernmental Organizations in Historical Perspective, 6. Elizabeth A. Bloodgood – Being an NGO in the OECD, 7. Cristina M. Balboa – The Legitimacy and Accountability of International NGOs PART 4: Case Evidence: NGOs and Networks 8. Shareen Hertel – The Theoretical and Practical Implications of Public/Private Partnerships for Labor Rights Advocacy 9. Patrice C. McMahon – NGOs in Peacebuilding: High Expectations, Mixed Results 10. William E. DeMars – Follow the Partners, 11. Dennis Dijkzeul – Heart of Paradox: War, Rape and NGOs in the DR Congo PART 5: Conclusions and Implications 12. William E. DeMars and Dennis Dijkzeul – Conclusions and Implications: NGO Research and International Relations Theory