What is it about?
A significant body of literature before the First World War developed a 'science of internationalism' helping us to understand the roles of international organisations in world politics including those now known as NGOs. This article explores the writings on this topic of Paul Otlet, Henri La Fontaine, and Alfred Fried. The dangers of approaches emphasising hierarchy and centralisation are highlighted.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
Existing work on international organisations - especially that on international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) - has tended to neglect the ways in which these organisations were handled in early international relations theory. The flaws in this early theory provide lessons relevant to present day debates.
Perspectives
This article is intended not only to challenge presentism in existing perspectives on NGOs and global governance, but also to draw insights from early literature that help us to reconsider present-day debates on the topic.
Dr Thomas R Davies
City University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Understanding non-governmental organizations in world politics: The promise and pitfalls of the early ‘science of internationalism’, European Journal of International Relations, December 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1354066116679243.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
