Transnational Advocacy in the Digital Era. Think Global, Act Local

February 23rd, 2022 - 11:30 am to 12:30 pm PT

Online event

Digital advocacy organizations are a novel, significant addition to the international arena and are shaping public opinion on climate change, trade and refugees. They derive power from their ability to rapidly mobilize members online and offline on a range of issues, in contrast to most non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which wield power through their expertise on, and long-term commitment to, a single issue. Digital advocacy organizations have built a transnational network around a common mode of advocacy, and share technology, tactics, and strategies. Despite operating in a globalized world they tackle transnational problems by focusing on national targets because they see the state as the locus of power. International relations scholars have acknowledged the power of networks in international politics, but have not examined this new generation of digital advocacy organizations and how they are harnessing digitally networked power. 

Speakers

• Nina Hall - Nina Hall is an Assistant Professor in International Relations at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Her research explores the role of transnational advocacy and international organizations in international relations. Her most recent book, Transnational Advocacy in the Digital Era, will be published with Oxford University Press in 2022. Her first book examined how United Nations’ humanitarian and development agencies adapted to climate change - Displacement, Development and Climate Change: International Organizations Moving Beyond their Mandates? (Routledge, 2016). She previously worked as a Lecturer at the Hertie School of Governance and has a DPhil (PhD) in International Relations from the University of Oxford. She is the co-founder of an independent, progressive think tank, New Zealand Alternative. She has recently been a Senior Fellow at the Weizenbaum Institute (the German Internet Institute), and is currently a Faculty Affiliate at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and a Research Associate at the Centre for Strategic Studies, Victoria University of Wellington.