Assessing the effectiveness of transnational activism: an analysis of the anti-whaling and anti-sealing campaigns

UnrestrictedThis analysis assesses the impact of transnational campaigns at the state and international levels and charts the development of transnational activism focused on furthering the protection of animal rights (preservation) and species protection (conservation) through an analysis of the anti-whaling and anti-sealing campaigns. The study explores the responses (specific campaigns) of preservation and conservation by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to policies and practices of corporate and societal actors and international and national institutions. It contributes to the literature that explores the factors and forces that influence transnational action aimed at addressing environmental problems and evaluates under what circumstances transnational actors are effective. The unit of analysis is the specific campaign organized by environmental NGOs. In addition, the origins of the campaigns, their strategies, the factors that influence transnational activism, and the impact that transnational activism has on furthering the goals of the campaigns are examined. The case studies demonstrate that group characteristics, domestic and global factors provide the reasons for transnational activism and influence the shape and scope of transnational activity. The case studies also suggest that the campaigns have at times been effective in raising awareness of the issues, in increasing the public and policymakers’ agenda, as well as in influencing the behavior of targets actors and modifying international regimes. Factors that influenced the effectiveness of the anti-whaling and anti-sealing campaigns included the extent to which the ideologies of the transnational NGOs were congruent with the dominant cultural and economic interests of its target actors (e.g., consumers, states, corporations, international regimes).; Other factors included the use of such political strategies as moral and material leverage, as well as the ability of transnational NGOs to utilize international processes in modifying international regimes