Book Launch: The Authority Trap – Strategic Choices of International NGOs

Event Details

Join us for a discussion of the new book, The Authority Trap: Strategic Choices of International NGOs (Cornell, 2017). Sarah S. Stroup and Wendy H. Wong show that not all international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) are created equal. Most INGOs are ignored in global politics, but a few have emerged as “leading INGOs” that command deference from various powerful audiences, and are well-positioned to influence the practices of states, corporations, and other INGOs. Leading INGOs might have authority, but they are not free to do what they want. Instead, they must balance the concerns of the various audiences that grant them authority in order to preserve their status. Caught in the authority trap, leading INGOs tend to be muzzled and make more conservative demands.

Book sale, signing and reception to follow the discussion.

This panel discussion will be chaired by Todd Foglesong, Professor of Global Practice at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Sandra Ka Hon Chu, Director of Research and Advocacy, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and Steven Bernstein, Co-Director of the Environmental Governance Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs and Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, will serve as discussants.

Date: January 18, 2018
Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: Munk School of Global Affairs

Speakers: Sarah S. Stroup, Wendy H. Wong, Todd Foglesong, Sandra Ka Hon Chu, Steven Bernstein

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