Oct 31, 2024  
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog 
    
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2023-2024 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

IP 574 NGOs in International Politics: Concepts and Challenges

(3 Credits)
Since the end of World War II, there has been a steady increase in the numbers of transnational non-governmental organizations (TNGOs) working across borders on issues as diverse as emergency relief, women’s rights, environmental sustainability and fair trade. In the 1990s, the TNGO sector expanded at an unprecedented rate and the amount of money channeled through these organizations sky-rocketed. Consequently, political scientists started paying more attention to the purpose, activities, power, and authority of TNGOs. This course examines key conceptual issues surrounding the legitimacy, authority, power and accountability of TNGOs with the objective of fostering a clear understanding of the unique role TNGOs play in international politics. We will also consider the challenges NGOs face in the international system. We will discuss: the tactics TNGOs employ to effectuate change; the relationship between TNGOs and the military; the funding landscape; the dark side of TNGO policies and the relationship between TNGOs from the Global South and the Global North. The course is grounded in case studies that explore TNGOs activities in the realms of women’s rights, human rights, development, peace-building, environmental protection and emergency relief.