It is now widely accepted that Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) play a key role in global cooperation. But very little is known so far about how NGOs exactly make a difference in transnational governance arrangements, through which channels and with what consequences NGOs shape rule-setting and implementation across nation state borders. Based on a literature review and a novel mapping exercise of NGOs in a number of selected governance fields, the proposed project will analyze in-depth the processes, channels, social mechanisms and consequences of NGO activity in transnational governance. Research is organized around five key activities of NGOs: Organizing, networking, mobilizing, governing, employing. Building on a systematization of existing research, hitherto scattered across different academic disciplines, the project aims to build an integrated conceptual framework and research design for understanding what NGOs actually do that makes them so salient and important for global cooperation.
Keywords NGOs, global cooperation, transnational governance, organizing, networking, mobilizing, governing, employing