The significance of non-governmental organisations in the development of international environmental policy : the case of trade and environment

Taylor, Annie Catharine Scott (1998) The significance of non-governmental organisations in the development of international environmental policy : the case of trade and environment. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

This thesis examines the recent rise in prominence within global politics of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The 'NGO Phenomenon' has generated enormous interest amongst scholars of global politics, precisely because they are non-governmental and therefore, to some extent, beyond the state. The thesis addresses three questions: how do NGOs relate to the current political, economic and social order?; are NGOs merely upholding the current structures of power and dominance that surround environmental issues or are they engaged in an attempt to build a new, alternative order?; if NGOs are significant actors in global politics, should they be understood as a radical or conservative force?

The first part of the thesis explores different theoretical approaches to understanding NGOs. Much of the literature shares a common liberal-pluralist perspective. While the ability of liberal-pluralism to accommodate non-state actors into an understanding of global politics provides an appealing framework, it is essentially a problem-solving approach that cannot account for change in the world order. More appropriate to understanding the significance of NGOs in global politics is the framework offered by Robert Cox, based upon the interrelationship between states, social forces and world orders.

The second part applies Cox's framework to understand the activities of NGOs in the trade and environment debate. The current literature on NGOs is divided into two camps: those who present NGOs as a progressive global force engaged in processes that are radically altering the nature of global politics, and those who see NGO activity as of little consequence to international relations. The evidence presented here suggests that neither of these approaches offers a full explanation of the 'NGO phenomenon'. By placing the 'NGO phenomenon' within the analytical framework offered by Cox, an alternative approach is developed. This third approach suggests that while NGOs do operate transnationally, and do engage in the politics of many global issues, they have failed to present a radical challenge to the existing neo-liberal world order. The conclusion reached here is that far from being a radical force, NGOs play a significant role in legitimating the existing neo-liberal order.

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