Conflict, Legitimacy, and Effectiveness: Who Speaks for Whom in Transnational NGO Networks Lobbying the World Bank?

Abstract

Networks of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have gained a measure of influence in policy and funding debates for the multilateral development banks, particularly the World Bank (WB). Addressing organizations owned and governed by member states, they have raised issues of environmental impact, economic and social justice, political participation, and the rights of minorities (sometimes majorities) usually excluded from national and global decision making. With their success have come pressures that reveal tensions and contradictions in the networks' representation, agenda setting, self-governance, and claims to legitimacy. These tensions can be traced to the networks' position in a changing international political economy. They have weakened the NGOs' influence with the WB and its major member states and are now stimulating proposals and initiatives to change the networks' self-governance.