Transnational Actors in International Organizations: Conditions for Influence

This project investigates the conditions under which transnational actors (TNAs) influence decision-making in international organizations (IOs). While prior research has demonstrated that TNAs can shape IO decisions, recent trends - including state pushback against civil society and renewed emphasis on sovereignty - cast doubt on the durability of TNA influence. To address this gap, the project develops a theory of TNA influence, explaining how factors such as IO design, TNA resources and coalitions, and geopolitics shape variation in TNA impact. Empirically, the project combines natural language processing (NLP) techniques to trace TNA influence in IO decision texts over three decades (1995–2025), large-N statistical analysis to identify key determinants of influence, and survey experiments with IO elites to isolate causal drivers.