Governance for global integration: Designing structure and authority in international advocacy NGOs

Abstract

We examine the design of governance in international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) engaged in global advocacy. A central governance challenge facing INGOs is how to integrate their global advocacy efforts across diverse country units and memberships, in the face of limited authority and weak ownership over those units. Through a qualitative multi-case study of ten organizations, we analyze governance reforms intended to enhance global integration. We identify and discuss: a) four distinct governance structures for enabling more coherent global decision making (federation, confederation, network, constituency backbone); b) various mechanisms of formal and informal authority employed by headquarters in order to integrate the diverse interests and actions of their units; and, c) decision rights allocated to units or members to secure commitment to global goals. We synthesize these findings to offer a contingency perspective on designing governance for global integration. We hope this research will not only help to advance scholarship on governance in complex global organizations, but will also be useful to the leadership and boards of international organizations in strengthening the collective voice of their diverse constituencies.