IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/intstu/v58y2021i4p466-490.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Barriers to UN–Civil Society Collaborations: An Exploratory Study of CSOs Within the UN–ECOSOC Consultative Status Programme

Author

Listed:
  • B. D. Mowell

Abstract

In recent decades, civil society organizations (CSOs) have ostensibly attained increased access to the United Nations (UN) and other intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and, in turn, increased opportunities for collaboration with IGOs. However, in most cases, CSO access to IGOs remains limited and highly regimented. Little scholarship has been undertaken to examine barriers to effective CSO–IGO collaborations. Virtually, no empirical research has examined the degree or nature of the interaction between the UN and international civil society via the dynamic of the flagship programme designed to facilitate such collaborations—the consultative status framework. This exploratory study partially addresses the latter gap in the scholarship by undertaking a qualitative macro-scale examination of CSOs within the UN Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) consultative status programme, the primary vehicle in the UN–civil society dynamic. Specifically, the study sought to identify barriers to UN–civil society collaboration within the consultative status programme as perceived by participating CSOs. Findings of a survey sent to a random sample of 10% of CSOs holding UN–ECOSOC consultative status revealed that barriers to participation in the programme varied with some obstacles far more common than others. The degree of barriers reported by CSOs also strongly reflected the level of accreditation they held within the programme. Additionally, survey respondents offered insight as to how impediments in the collaboration could potentially be addressed.

Suggested Citation

  • B. D. Mowell, 2021. "Barriers to UN–Civil Society Collaborations: An Exploratory Study of CSOs Within the UN–ECOSOC Consultative Status Programme," International Studies, , vol. 58(4), pages 466-490, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:intstu:v:58:y:2021:i:4:p:466-490
    DOI: 10.1177/00208817211056751
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00208817211056751
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/00208817211056751?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michele M. Betsill & Elisabeth Corell, 2001. "NGO Influence in International Environmental Negotiations: A Framework for Analysis," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 1(4), pages 65-85, November.
    2. Eduardo A. Haddad & Jaime Bonet & Geoffrey J. D. Hewings, 2023. "Introduction and Overview," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Eduardo A. Haddad & Jaime Bonet & Geoffrey J. D. Hewings (ed.), The Colombian Economy and Its Regional Structural Challenges, chapter 0, pages 1-16, Springer.
    3. Finnemore, Martha & Sikkink, Kathryn, 1998. "International Norm Dynamics and Political Change," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(4), pages 887-917, October.
    4. Kelley, Judith, 2008. "Assessing the Complex Evolution of Norms: The Rise of International Election Monitoring," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 62(2), pages 221-255, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kenneth Abbott & Duncan Snidal, 2010. "International regulation without international government: Improving IO performance through orchestration," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 315-344, September.
    2. Jonathan W. Kuyper & Karin Bäckstrand, 2016. "Accountability and Representation: Nonstate Actors in UN Climate Diplomacy," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 16(2), pages 61-81, May.
    3. Nilsson, Adriana, 2017. "Making norms to tackle global challenges: The role of Intergovernmental Organisations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 171-181.
    4. Michael J. Gilligan & Nathaniel H. Nesbitt, 2009. "Do Norms Reduce Torture?," The Journal of Legal Studies, University of Chicago Press, vol. 38(2), pages 445-470, June.
    5. Mathieu Blondeel & Jeff Colgan & Thijs Van deGraaf, 2019. "What Drives Norm Success? Evidence from Anti–Fossil FuelCampaigns," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 19(4), pages 63-84, November.
    6. Marco Grasso & J. David Tàbara, 2019. "Towards a Moral Compass to Guide Sustainability Transformations in a High-End Climate Change World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, May.
    7. Chris Desmond & Janet Seeley & Candice Groenewald & Nothando Ngwenya & Kate Rich & Tony Barnett, 2019. "Interpreting social determinants: Emergent properties and adolescent risk behaviour," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(12), pages 1-17, December.
    8. Thereza RS de Aguiar, 2018. "Turning accounting for emissions rights inside out as well as upside down," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 36(1), pages 139-159, February.
    9. Jennifer Bickham Mendez, 2002. "Organizing a Space of their Own? Global/Local Processes in a Nicaraguan Women’s Organization," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 18(2-3), pages 196-227, June.
    10. Lei Liu & Yue Xu & Zhaotian Yang & Ying Li, 2023. "The interrelationship between environmental NGO development and environmental condition in China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 8487-8516, August.
    11. Bernhard Christoph, 2010. "The Relation Between Life Satisfaction and the Material Situation: A Re-Evaluation Using Alternative Measures," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 98(3), pages 475-499, September.
    12. Pedi Revecca & Sarri Katerina, 2019. "From the ‘Small but Smart State’ to the ‘Small and Entrepreneurial State’: Introducing a Framework for Effective Small State Strategies within the EU and Beyond," TalTech Journal of European Studies, Sciendo, vol. 9(1), pages 3-19, June.
    13. Duncan Weaver, 2018. "The Aarhus convention and process cosmopolitanism," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 199-213, April.
    14. Moch Faisal Karim, 2017. "Integrating European Muslims Through Discourse? Understanding the Development and Limitations of Euro-Islam in Europe," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 993-1011, November.
    15. Kikuta,Kyosuke & Hanayama,Manaho, 2023. "Does the Nobel Peace Prize Improve Women’s Rights? Prize and Praise in International Relations," IDE Discussion Papers 903, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    16. Galaz, V. & de Zeeuw, Aart & Shiroyama, Hideaki & Tripley, Debbie, 2016. "Planetary boundaries : Governing emerging risks and opportunities," Other publications TiSEM 0aebe291-f890-4a2d-9ab7-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    17. Bernhard Boockmann, 2003. "Mixed Motives: An Empirical Analysis of ILO Roll-Call Voting," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 263-285, December.
    18. repec:iab:iabfda:201307(en is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Neil M. Dawson & Michael Mason & Janet A. Fisher & David Mujasi Mwayafu & Hari Dhungana & Heike Schroeder & Mark Zeitoun, 2018. "Norm Entrepreneurs Sidestep REDD+ in Pursuit of Just and Sustainable Forest Governance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-19, May.
    20. Wagner, Matthew L, 2016. "The civil war puzzle revisited: The use of post-conflict elections as part of peace agreements," International Journal of Development and Conflict, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, vol. 6(1), pages 1-24.
    21. Prather, Lauren, 2024. "Ideology at the Water’s Edge: Explaining Variation in Public Support for Foreign Aid," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:intstu:v:58:y:2021:i:4:p:466-490. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.