new book announcement

Evaluating Transnational NGOs: Legitimacy, Accountability, Representation
Edited by Jens Steffek and Kristina Hahn
Palgrave Macmillan

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have come to play a key role in global and European governance. With this new influence and visibility many have begun to worry about their legitimacy and accountability. Critics question the representativeness of NGOs, the democratic quality of their internal procedures, and their accountability to the wider public. This volume, written jointly by academics and practitioners, clarifies the issues at stake and controversially discusses proposals for reform. Political theorists debate which forms of accountability and legitimacy are applicable to transnational NGOs and what concept of representation may mean in this context. Practitioners focus on restoring NGO accountability and the repercussions that the new demand for legitimacy and accountability may have on their work. The challenge is to make transnational NGOs more responsive to their members and those affected by their advocacy without overly taxing their limited resources and bureaucratizing their work.

http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?PID=358092