Philanthropic Foundations and Transnational Activist Networks
Ford and the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6273502 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ezequiel González-Ocantos (0000-0002-9617-478X, University of Oxford), Álvaro Morcillo Laiz (0000-0003-0969-4320, Free University Berlin , Germany) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 67 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2023-03-14 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Studies Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-8833 • E-ISSN: 1468-2478 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/isq/sqad022 |
| OpenAlex | W4361247712 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 45 |
Foundations provide key funds for nongovernmental organizations. We know little about what they do for transnational activism or the mechanisms via which they seek/achieve influence. We carve a middle ground between those who see donors as supporting actors in transnational advocacy networks (TANs) and those who think they distort activism through impersonal market forces. Our negotiation-oriented approach looks at the micro-dynamics of donor–grantee relations. We argue that influence is a function of donors’ organizational characteristics. Only some, especially foundations, have the vision/means to shape grantees. However, internal complexity can cause coordination problems, complicating influence. Additionally, if many donors exist, recipients’ leverage increases. It does so too if their expertise is in short supply. Using archival evidence, we reconstruct how Ford tried to shape the Inter-American Human Rights Institute, a pillar of the region's human rights regime, and the factors conditioning success. For Ford, the Institute could play a role in a fledging TAN, but only if it downplayed its emphasis on research and directly engaged activists. Coupled with analyses of USAID’s relationship with the Institute and Ford's relationship with Americas Watch, we shed light on the activities of an important class of donor and illuminate foundations’ role in the development of TANs
Human rights · International relations · Law and economics · Leverage (statistics · Negotiation · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · International Development and Aid · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Public Administration · Religion, Society, and Development
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Foundations of the American Century
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Philanthropy in America
The Power of Human Rights
Competition and strategic differentiation among transnational advocacy groups
Local resources for local rights? The Mumbai fundraiser's dilemma
The Rockefeller and Gates Foundations in Global Health Governance
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The Foundations of Democracy
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The NGO Scramble
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U.S. Philanthropic Foundations, their History, Structure, Management, and Record
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The Political Economy of Transnational Regimes
Density and Decline in the Founding of International NGOs in the United States
Foreign Assistance, International Norms, and NGO Development
International Norm Dynamics and Political Change
Common-sense Constructivism and Hegemony in World Politics
Explaining the Advocacy Agenda
From Above and Below
Two Logics of Indirect Governance
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Legitimacy in Global Health Governance
Takingstock
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |