Networks of Influence? Developing Countries in a Networked Global Order
, by Woods, Ngaire; Martinez-Diaz, LeonardoNote: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
- ISBN: 9780199564422 | 0199564426
- Cover: Hardcover
- Copyright: 8/3/2009
Networks are thriving in global politics. Some bring policy-makers from different countries together to share problems and to forge solutions, free from the rules of representation, decision-making, and transparency which constrain more formal international organizations. Are developing countries benefiting from these nimble and non-hierarchical forms of governance? Or are they better off conducting their international relations through formal institutions? The answer depends on how the networks are structured, what their purpose is, and how power is exercised inside them. This book presents a fascinating account of how some networks have strengthened the position of developing country officials, both at home and in international negotiations. At the same time, it points to conditions under which networks can become instruments of capture and co-optation by the powerful, rather than vehicles for more equitable international co-operation. Book jacket.