Mechanics of change: Social movements, transnational coalitions, and the transformation processes in Eastern Europe

Chilton, Patricia

doi:10.1080/13510349408403385

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…She found, however, that while this was true for some cases, in East Germany and Czechoslovakia where national civil societies were comparatively weak, there were strong connections to transnational coalitions (Chilton 1995:206). A capacity to form transnational coalitions in these cases was not dependent upon previous levels of (national) civil society development, and it was the ability to engage in transnational coalitions that led to the transformations of these societies (Chilton 1995).…”

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confidence: 99%

The Uneven Geography of Global Civil Society: National and Global Influences on Transnational Association

2005

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Recent decades have seen an explosion of transnational networking and activism, but participation varies widely around the globe. Using negative binomial regression, we explore how national and global political and economic factors shape this "uneven geography" of participation in transnational social movement organizations (TSMOs). Contrary to assumptions in popular discourse, we find a continued importance of the state and limited importance of global economic integration in determining participation in transnational associations. But while ties to the global economy do not significantly impact participation, a country's links to global institutions enhance opportunities for transnational activism. Rich countries' citizens are more active transnationally, but low-income countries with strong ties to the global polity are also more tied to global activist networks. This suggests that TSMOs do not simply reproduce worldsystem stratification, but -aided by a supportive institutional environment--they help sow the seeds for its transformation. Globalization, or the expansion of all types of social interactions across national boundaries, has led governments to turn increasingly to global institutions like the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations to resolve transnational problems. As this happens, social movement actors seeking to change local and national practices find that they must look beyond their national boundaries to do so. The global political context both expands and complicates the strategic choices available to those advocating political and social change.Activists increasingly need information and expertise relevant to transnational political arenas in order to pursue their social change goals. Therefore, it is not surprising that the growth of international agreements and organizations among governments has been accompanied by a corresponding proliferation of transnational civil society associations of all types.The dramatic growth in cross-border interactions among non-state actors has led scholars of transnational relations to call for an expansion of our traditional, state-bounded notions of civil society to account for a transnational public sphere (see Guidry et al. 2000). Many speak of a "global civil society" (see, e.g., Wapner 1996;Clark et al. 1998;Anheier et al. 2001;Warkentin and Mingst 2000), which we, along with Paul Wapner, define as "that dimension of transnational collective life in which citizens organize themselves --outside their identity with a particular state or their role as a producer or consumer--to advance shared agendas and coordinate political activities throughout the world " (2002:204). But there are strong reasons to be skeptical that this "global civil society" is "global" in the sense that it is broadly representative of and accessible to all the world's citizens. Some analysts (e.g., Tarrow 2001a; Rootes 2002) question the very presence of a global civil society by pointing to the limits of its global-ness and the weakness of the actual trans...

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The Uneven Geography of Global Civil Society: National and Global Influences on Transnational Association

2005

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“…Domestic organizations can contact, communicate, and partner with transnational NGOs, many of which established a visible presence in these societies; and they can look to foreign-based foundations and NGOs, as well as international and supranational agencies, for financial support and non-monetary resources in the form of organizational transfer of skills, knowledge, and information (Bach & Stark, 2002). Thus, at the same time that East Central Europe's fragile civic organizations were sinking their roots into the domestic societybuilding ties to their members and constituents as well as to other organizations -they were also building transnational ties to actors outside the country (Chilton, 1995). Are Hungarian civic associations becoming uprooted just at the moment when they might be establishing strong ties to society or are there patterns of transnationalization that can co-exist with the reproduction of domestic integration?…”

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confidence: 97%

Rooted transnational publics: Integrating foreign ties and civic activism

2006

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Can civic organizations be both locally rooted and globally connected? Based on a survey of 1,002 of the largest civic organizations in Hungary, we conclude that there is not a forced choice between foreign ties and domestic integration. By studying variation in types of foreign interactions and variation in types of domestic integration, our analysis goes beyond notions of footloose experts versus rooted cosmopolitans. Organizations differ in their rootedness according to whether they have ties to their members and constituents, whether they have ties to other organizations in the civic sector, and whether they associate with actors from outside the civic sector. Similarly, we specify different types of foreign ties. In both domains our emphasis is on the type of action involved in the tie-especially relations of accountability and partnership. By demonstrating a systematic relationship between the patterns of foreign ties and the patterns of domestic integration, we chart three emerging forms of transnational publics.Can civic organizations be both locally rooted and globally connected? A prominent theme in the literature on social movements, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civic organizations more generally points to warning signs about the potential negative effects of transnationalization. According to that view, international ties come at the expense of local integration. For some authors, the sources of disintegration are located in changes in the internal structure of the organizations whereby transnationalized organizations become professionalized, bureaucratized, and commercialized, with the potential consequence of the de-radicalization of the organizations (Rucht, 1999: 218). For others, the negative effects of transnationalization result from accompanying changes in the relationship between the Theor Soc (2006) 35: 323-349

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“…Yet lack of material and cognitive resources may hamper resort; other domestic factors may also constrain, such as 'inherited institutions and ideologies' and 'belief structures' (Marks and McAdam 1996: 258). In such cases, domestic NGOs, to be rendered capable of exploiting their opportunities, may depend on transnational norm entrepreneurs and advocacy networks (Chilton 1995;Keck and Sikkink 1998;della Porta and Tarrow 2005) bound together by shared beliefs and values (Keck and Sikkink 1998). Such networks mobilise resources in support of domestic groups and 'pressure policy-makers to initiate change by increasing the costs of certain strategy options' (Bo¨rzel and Risse 2000: 9).…”

Section: The Eu Transnational Network and Domestic Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Impaling Dracula: How EU Accession Empowered Civil Society in Romania

Parau¹

2008

West European Politics

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Mechanics of change: Social movements, transnational coalitions, and the transformation processes in Eastern Europe

Cited by 16 publications

References 7 publications

The Uneven Geography of Global Civil Society: National and Global Influences on Transnational Association

The Uneven Geography of Global Civil Society: National and Global Influences on Transnational Association

Rooted transnational publics: Integrating foreign ties and civic activism

Impaling Dracula: How EU Accession Empowered Civil Society in Romania

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