|
Review of UIA Yearbook and Encyclopedia
EXPANDING RESOURCES ON
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Ten Volumes on 30,000 organizations, 9800 problems,
7700 solutions and 11,000 people
by Chadwick F. Alger
Mershon
Center, The Ohio State University
Materials reviewed:
Union of International Associations, Yearbook of International Organizations,
1996/97, 33rd edition, 4 volumes, 5313 pages.
Munich, New Providence, N.J., London and Paris: K.G. Saur. Also. available
on CD-ROM, as Yearbook Plus - International Organizations and
Biographies.
Vol. 1, Organization Descriptions and Index, 1800
pages.
Vol. 2, International Organization Participation,
1730 pages.
Vol. 3, Global Action Networks, 1800 pages.
Vol. 4 International Organization Bibliography and
Resources.
Union of International Associations, Encyclopedia of World Problems
and Human Potential, 4th edition, 3 volumes Also
K.G. Saur, 3160 pages. Also available on CD-ROM as Encyclopedia Plus.
Vol. 1, World Problems, 1264 pages.
Vol. 2, Human Potential—Transformation and Values,
931 pages.
Vol. 3, Actions, Strategies, Solutions, 965 pages.
Union of International Associations, Who’s Who in International Organizations,
2nd edition, 3 volumes, edited by Jon J. Jenkins. Also
K.G. Saur, 1280 pages. Also available as part of the Yearbook
Plus CD-ROM.
For many years scholars concerned with international relations have
been challenged by the Union
of International Associations (UIA) in Brussels, founded in 1910, to
perceive, and interpret, the full array of organizations that transcend
state borders. They publish a bi-monthly journal, Transnational Associations
(now in its 48th year), whose purpose is “to provide a forum
for authoritative information and independent reflection on the increasing
role played by [nongovernmental organizations] in the international system,
and on its philosophical, political, economic or cultural implications.”
They also publish three multi-volume resource works which offer ten volumes
(9663 pages) of information on international organizations, leaders of
these organizations, world problems and potential, and related matters.
For years scholars concerned with international governmental, and non-governmental
organizations, have spent hours coding data from the Yearbook on
the founding date, location, leaders, members, aims, structure, activities,
and inter-organizational relations of international organizations. Many
have anxiously awaited the day when this material would become available
in machine readable form. At last their dream has been more than fulfilled.
Not only the Yearbook, but also the Encyclopedia and Who’s Who—all ten
volumes—are available on two CD-ROMs!
The Yearbook of International Organizations, now in its 33rd
edition, offers information on both governmental and non-governmental organizations,
along with clear criteria for distinguishing between those which are truly
international in organization and governance, and those that are organizations
active across state borders, but governed by members in only one or two
countries.
Volume One provides entries on 30,000 organizations with international
agendas and involvements, detailed profiles of 9844 organizations, and
a keyword index. Included are names of principal executive officers, addresses
of all offices, telephone numbers, history, goals, structure, interorganizational
links, activities, publications, and membership by country.
Volume Two, a geographic presentation, lists, for each country,
the organizations headquartered there and the organizations in which that
country is represented.
Volume Three, a subject volume, entitled “Global Action Networks,
categorizes organizations under 200 “common ideas, aims, and activities—with
complete contact information for relevant organizations included as well.”
Volume Four, appearing for the first time in this edition, offers
an Author-Title and Subject Index to some 33,500 publications produced
by current international organizations, along with a bibliography of related
works and titles of interest.
Many researchers have enhanced understanding of organized links across
state borders by employing the Yearbook in plotting changes in the total
number of organizations across time, and changes in the number of organizations
dealing with specific issues, such as health, science and commerce. They
have also coded common memberships of specific states in order to get a
view of who is connected with whom, and have attempted to discern whether
these linkages affect inter-state relationships. At the same time, teachers
have deepened the awareness of their students of the vast array of international
organizations by having them identify organizations concerned with specific
issues, such as food, education and refugees. My favorite Yearbook assignment
has been to ask students to make a list of the local organizations in which
they, their family, friends and neighbors are members. Then I ask them
to look up these organizations in the Yearbook. They are usually astounded
to find that the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Salvation Army were not
founded in the United States, but in England. And most are surprised to
find that the Rotary, Lions, and many other local organizations are chapters
in worldwide organizations, with journals printed in many languages. This
exercise reveals unperceived global linkages that, when illuminated, offer
potential for self-conscious participation. .
Who’s Who in International Organizations offers biographical
and contact data for 14,000 key individuals in 7000 organizations. Entries
for each person include information on profession, organization, position,
nationality, date and place of birth, professional history, memberships
and honors. Access to entries are facilitated by three extensive indexes,
based on nationality, main field of work and specific international organizations.
The Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential was first
published in 1976 as the Yearbook of World Problems and Human Potential.
Offering 20,000 entries, and over 158,000 cross-references, it strives
to be “the most comprehensive source of information on world problems,
on how they are perceived to be inter-related, and on the human resources
and strategies which can be used to challenge them.”
Volume 1, World Problems, describes the nature, origins
and incidence of over 9800 world problems documented by a wide range of
international organizations. These problems are divided into five main
categories:
-
Basic universal problems (e.g., unemployment, human inequality)
-
Cross-sectoral problems (e.g., illiteracy, radioactive
contamination)
-
Detailed problems (abuse of medical drugs, air pollution)
-
Emanations of other problems (e.g., terrorism targeted against
tourists, injustice of mass trials)
-
Exceptional problems (e.g., pacifism, failure of disarmament
and arms control efforts).
The editors make it very clear that problems included have been acquired
from of a broad variety “of cultures, ideologies, beliefs, priorities and
biases. Thus, “both “capitalism” and “communism” are treated as world problems.”
Volume 2, Human Potential - Transformation and Values,
“contains keys to solutions to world problems” in 7700 entries. The volume
begins with a Human Development section whose purpose is “to describe briefly
the complete range of concepts of human development with which people identify,
consider meaningful or reject in their search for growth and fulfillment
of life.” Divided into two parts, the first part describes 1407 Human Development
Concepts, such as vocational training, empathy and emancipation of the
self. The second part, focuses on 3049 distinctive subjective experiences
during the process of human development, or Modes of Awareness, such as
compassion, sense of shame, conviction, and sense of humor. These entries
are interlinked by 15,237 cross-references.
The Human Development section is followed by 241 pages of bibliography
and notes under four headings:
(1) Integrative knowledge is an effort “to assemble descriptions
of the range of concepts ...which are, in some way, considered integrative
and which ...provide the key to ...effective strategic response to the
global problematique.”
(2) Metaphors and Patterns “is concerned with the forms through
which new concepts and insights could be presented or communicated in response
to the global problematique. For example, it explicitly tries to be responsive
to the UN Secretary General’s characterization of falling support for UN
development projects, as reflected in public opinion in the developed countries:
“It is .. .like a closing of the gates to a pattern of generalizations
perceived as out-worn.”
(3) Transformative Approaches tries “to provide a context for
the presentation of accessible techniques which offer possibilities of
making an immediate difference to the manner in which resources are mobilized
in response to the global problematique.”
(4) Human Values and Wisdom offers “a comprehensive range of
values with which people identify, and to which they are attracted or which
they reject as abhorrent.” They are divided into:
-
Constructive Values, e.g. cooperativeness, education
and hope
-
Destructive Values, e.g.., abuse, authoritarianism and complacency
-
Value Polarities, as identified in Roget’s Thesaurus, e.g., love-hate,
cohesion-disintegration, freedom-restraint.
-
Value Types groups values into 45 types as a means for obtaining
a clearer overview, e.g. a feeling complex, an interaction complex
and a communication complex.
Volume 3, Actions - Strategies - Solutions, attempts “to
identify the complete range of strategies perceived by international constituencies,
whether as a focus for their programme activities, their research, their
protest, their recommendations, or as part of their belief system.” Strategies
are presented in five categories:
-
Basic general strategies (158), e.g., eliminating discrimination
and combating desertification
-
Cross-sectional strategies (1100), e.g., Orienting economic policy
toward social need, managing crises,
-
Detailed strategies (3315), e.g., Establishing national government
NGO departments, using psychological warfare,
-
Emanations of other strategies (3008), e.g., Lifting restrictions
on human rights advocacy, Reviewing provisions of the UN Charter,
-
(5) Fuzzy exceptional strategies, or “unusual strategies” (1382),
include those that are potential, futuristic, dormant, based on “superstition”,
based on unsubstantiated beliefs, low probability, ambiguous, and strategies
required for the organized development of other strategies. Examples are,
begging, rechanneling expenditures on defence, and globalizing.
Tools for the researcher offered by this encyclopedia are awesome. Each
of the three volumes includes lengthy, and comprehensive notes (total of
468 pages), bibliography (135 pages) and index (365) pages. For example,
Volume 3 offers a far ranging conceptual review of post-crisis strategies
that covers 21 pages. Extensive bibliographies range across many disciplines
and include many international organization documents. Comprehensive indexes
facilitate quick access to aspects of topics which are of particular interest
to the researcher. For example, under International Organizations, Volume
1 (World Problems) lists thirty-five problems, including inadequate facilities,
excess western based international secretariats, and incompatible equivalent
national sections.
Those interested in assessing organized potential for global problem-solving
may find most useful the copious cross references provided for each entry,
which add up to some 158,500. For example, the Civil War
problem (Volume 1) is cross-referenced to:
a broader world problem: Unconventional War
a narrower world problem: Guerrilla Warfare
a related world problem: Civil Violence
and to other world problems aggravated by Civil War: Inadequate
Hospital Facilities and Tribal Conflicts Within States.
The editors of the Encyclopedia state that it is the intent of the most
recent edition to shift the focus from “seemingly isolated world problems
... to the hunt for vicious cycles of problems,” toward the end of illuminating
“cycles of strategies to reverse or break them up.” Wary of “tunnel vision”,
they search widely for new metaphors for governance. “The Encyclopedia
is deliberately designed to challenge unquestioned patterns of response
to the crises of the times and to evoke new insights in the reader. In
this sense it is full of shocks and creative surprises.” An example would
be exploration of the relevance of poetry-making to policy-making.
Obviously these ten volumes can serve a diversity of needs of a variety
of people—government officials, members of non-governmental organizations,
journalists, students, and the general public—as well as scholars. Exhaustive
indexing and cross-referencing offer quick access to information on specific
organizations, problems, potential and people. But for the researcher they
may appear to offer a rapidly escalating overload of facts, as in the case
of those who have spent many hours, and precious resources, coding the
Yearbook. But, of course, the 2 CD-ROM make the contents of these nine
volumes more quickly accessible, make compilation of statistics much faster
and reliable, and offer the possibility for great expansion in possibilities
for exploring relationships between variables.
One example would be the opportunity that CD-Rom offer for exploring
the extensive networks of international organization relationships. Now
we will be able to attain new understanding of the complicated array of
relationships among international organizations--105,000 links between
these organizations are revealed in the Yearbook. For example, the Food
and Agricultural Organization is linked to some 546 organizations, and
UNESCO to some 1030. The CD-ROM opens up vast new possibilities for describing,
and comparing, these networks. It also makes it possible to quickly jump
from one organization in a network to another, by simply clicking a mouse.
From the perspective of this reviewer, the greatest significance of
these volumes is the manner in which they enhance the capacity of the researcher
to more fully comprehend the complexity of world relations. It is my belief
that nothing has inhibited more penetrating understanding of world relations,
of world problems—and of devising strategies for achieving solutions—more
than the persistent tendency to unrealistically simplify the complexity
of human relations that transcend the borders of states. These volumes
facilitate research which will enlighten our understanding of the complicated
array of activities which transcend the boundaries of the state system,
and of their potential contributions to the solution of pressing global
problems.
The value of these volumes is greatly enhanced by the broad vision,
and openness, of the designers and editors. The resources provided range
across many disciplines, cultures, nations, ideologies and research methodologies.
The user is challenged to ponder the relevance of the “strange, false,
evil and ridiculous”, as well as the “known, true, good and useful.” The
value of these works is also enhanced by the nature of the compiling agency—a
clearing house for international organizations around the world. Relationships
with thousands of these organizations, through meetings, journals, and
compilation of the Yearbook, have been built up over a period of ninety
years. Thus, the editors of the volumes see members of these organizations—the
providers of much of the information—“as editorial partners in progressively
refining information relating to their concerns in every field of activity.”
Thus, the volumes are striving toward the production of material that accurately
reflects the activities of people in international organizations, and that
is also responsive to their needs.
At the same time, scholarly confidence in the editors is bolstered by
their tentative spirit: “The databases are at no time considered complete,
rather they reflect “work in progress” to clarify the complexity of the
international community and its actions.”
|
