Can labor-standards advocacy by transnational civil society organizations interact with the power of labor to improve labor standards in global supply chains? A case study of the Cambodian garment industry

Recent research shows that the focus of labor-standards advocacy by transnational civil society organizations (CSOs) has shifted to building the organizational capacity of workers’ organizations in developing countries, suggesting cooperation between transnational CSOs and local trade unions potentially improving working conditions in global supply chains. However, scant attention has been paid to how the two actors interact in practice. Based on fieldwork in Cambodia, including in-depth interviews with garment sector stakeholders, this article examines the interaction between transnational CSOs and trade unions in improving working conditions in the garment industry. The data analysis shows that transnational CSOs and trade unions have distinct comparative advantages in improving working conditions. Rather than the conflicting relationship between CSOs and trade unions as suggested in the literature, this article demonstrates a complementary relationship between the two, indicating the significance of the cooperation between these actors in improving working conditions within global supply chains.

Theorizing state stigmatization: a comparative perspective on South Africa and Israel

This article deals with state stigmas in the international arena, and addresses the question: why do state-stigmas develop and become sustained in some cases, whereas in other cases they wither away? For parsimonious, analytical purposes we view the process of state stigmatisation through two, interrelated stages: the stigma’s development – where transnational civil society activists and the engagement of mainstream international media play an important role; and the stigma’s sustenance where these elements are joined by the target state’s coping strategy. For theoretical consistency, we limit ourselves to exploring states that are (a) involved in conflicts and (b) aspiring to be part of the Western-led ‘club’ of states. Through the analysis of press articles and UN documents relating to two vastly different case studies: South Africa (1985–1994) and Israel (2000–2019), we demonstrate that states in conflictual situations have limited manoeuvring space in dealing with their developing stigmas; and that the choice of tools utilized in the implementation of the same coping strategy can lead to different results.

RESISTING TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION: THE DIGITAL SECURITY PRACTICES OF DIASPORA AND EXILED HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

For diaspora activists in transnational networks, digital media play a crucial role to mobilize and advocate against authoritarian regimes in their country of origin. Yet the reliance on these technologies creates multiple points of exposure that state actors exploit to silence and punish dissent from abroad. While research has exposed the technical underpinnings of digital attacks targeting civil society, less is known on how potential targets perceive and respond to these threats. Using more than 50 interviews with exiled human rights defenders and journalists from Egypt, Syria and Iran, this paper investigates risk perceptions and security practices of activists in transnational networks. It shows that rather than on nuanced risk assessment, digital security decisions and behavior are often built on the “imagined affordances” of digital technologies for surveillance and information control. The paper argues that the complexity of digital tools and constantly evolving risks thus only work to aggravate activists’ uncertainty regarding the capabilities of the state actors threatening them, reinforcing the silencing effects of transnational repression. Networks of incident response, support and information sharing, in turn, will help to strengthen the digital resilience of transnational civil society.

Solving world problems: the Indian women’s movement, global governance, and ‘the crisis of empire’, 1933–46

This article examines global processes of decolonization through an analysis of Indian women’s interactions with world governance during the interwar ‘crisis of empire’. This distinct form of activism asserted anti-colonial claims through engagements with transnational civil society networks and the social work of the League of Nations and the International Labour Office. In doing so, it undermined imperial legitimacy, shifted the terms of liberal internationalism, and prepared the ground for later developments at the United Nations.