Socio-spatial opportunities and the power of place : Bankwatch-NGOs in Washington, D.C.
For quite some time. social science has been dealing with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from different empirical and theoretical angles (Frantz 2002). However, one aspect is severely underdeveloped in this research: the role of the socio-spatial context conditions under which NGO actors oper...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
|
| Series: | Geographica Helvetica |
| Online Access: | http://www.geogr-helv.net/60/284/2005/gh-60-284-2005.pdf |
| Summary: | For quite some time. social science has been dealing
with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from
different empirical and theoretical angles (Frantz
2002). However, one aspect is severely underdeveloped
in this research: the role of the socio-spatial
context conditions under which NGO actors operate.
Using the example of Bankwatch-NGOs in Washington, D.C, who have been advocating World Bank
reform for more than two decades, the present paper
elaborates on this deficit in NGO research. Following Action and Structuration Theory, it is argued that
their embeddedness in an institutionally rich context provides them with access to a distinct set of
power resources. Furthermore, it is suggested that
such privileged access to resources puts the Washington, D.C. based NGOs in a favorable position in terms
of influencing the processes of hegemony formation
in this particular subject matter. In conclusion, the
unique Washington, D.C. context is conceptualized
as an action enabling socio-spatial opportunity structure. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0016-7312 2194-8798 |