Description
Transnational advocacy by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) is a pillar of global efforts against corruption. Numerous INGOs produce research on corruption and promote anti-corruption policies. They raise awareness about the costs and harms of corruption, produce and publicize corruption rankings, and pressure governments, international organizations, and multinational corporations to comply with international anti-corruption norms and rules. This paper presents preliminary evidence from a qualitative study of INGOs in the global anti-corruption scene to answer these questions: Who are the leading INGOs involved in global anti-corruption advocacy? How do they operate? How do they define their agendas? To whom do they address their advocacy? What strategies do they pursue? What are the “causal stories” they tell about corruption and how do they understand what is required for effective anti-corruption work? What are their advocacy framing strategies and strategic orientation practices? What impact do they/can they claim, to address corruption around the world? What can this tell us about prospects and problems in the global governance of corruption, and about transnational advocacy generally? The paper represents an initial stage of research in a larger project that aims to clarify what constitutes the “global anti-corruption movement” and to explore patterns of variation and/or conformity in leading INGO’s strategic practices in this field of transnational advocacy.
