International Network, Social Capital and the Role of Muhammadiyah During the 2006 Yogyakarta Earthquake

This article aims to investigate the impact of the international network and social capital on the effectiveness of Muhammadiyah’s emergency response in the 2006 Bantul earthquake. Despite paying more attention to religious and spiritual issues, Muhammadiyah, an Islamic-based social movement, plays a significant role in humanitarian issues. The 2006 earthquake in Bantul devastated public amenities, claimed thousands of people, and caused economic loss. The local government and private sectors of Bantul could not cope with the disaster. The most disaster-affected districts in Bantul Regency were Pundong, Bambanglipuro, and Jetis. Then, Muhammadiyah made an immediate emergency response to help those affected districts. In collaboration with overseas counterparts, Muhammadiyah collected humanitarian assistance. Muhammadiyah might not complete its humanitarian mission without the support of existing local Muhammadiyah in those districts. In other words, Muhammadiyah’s social capital is influential for humanitarian missions. This paper utilized two concepts to elaborate on the effectiveness of Muhammadiyah’s emergency response, namely transnational advocacy networks (TANs) and social capital. Then, this article argues that the higher level of TANs and social capital Muhammadiyah has, the more emergency response it can complete effectively. This paper discovered that three districts had different levels of TANs and social capital. In Pundong, the level of leverage politics (TANs) was higher than social capital. However, both Bambanglipuro and Jetis had a high level of social capital, whereas their leverage politics were low.

Theorizing NGO Mediation in Global Governance

This theoretical chapter summarizes how scholars in international relations and comparative politics have conceptualized the roles of NGOs in global governance and offers a new approach for studying NGO mediation. First, it surveys literatures on transnational advocacy networks, INGOs, and global governance institutions. Next, it introduces the concept of NGO mediation and incorporates insights from scholarship on regime type, state-society relations, and domestic social movements to enhance our insights into how NGOs mediate between domestic and global levels of governance. NGO mediation involves adapting and translating global governance norms and principles to domestic contexts. We identify three common mediation challenges and link these challenges to features of the domestic political context. Finally, the chapter previews the book’s argument and describes our research design.

Keterlibatan WALHI dalam Politik Lingkungan Hidup terhadap Kasus Kabut Asap di Riau

Penelitian ini menelaah keterlibatan Walhi dalam politik lingkungan hidup terhadap kasus kabut asap di Riau dengan menggunakan sudut pandang Walhi sebagai organisasi non-pemerintah (NGO) yang banyak memberikan pengaruh dalam proses pengambilan kebijakan oleh pemerintah terhadap isu-isu lingkungan, khususnya di Riau pada saat bencana kabut asap. Ada upaya penggunaan relasi kekuasaan oleh Walhi sebagai organisasi non-pemerintah (NGO) melalui konsep kesempatan politik (political opportunity) dalam mengangkat isu bencana kabut asap di Riau sehingga menjadi isu lingkungan dalam lingkup internasional. Strategi advokasi transnasional (transnational advocacy) digunakan oleh Walhi Riau untuk memperlihatkan garis relasi kekuasaannya sebagai organisasi non-pemerintah (NGO) untuk memengaruhi kebijakan pemerintah daerah provinsi Riau terkait bencana kabut asap. Mulai dari strategi (1) information politics, yaitu kemampuan dalam menghasilkan informasi dan mengarahkan dampak yang akan terjadi dari informasi yang didapat. (2) symbolic politics, yakni kemampuan dalam menyerukan simbol maupun aksi yang dapat memunculkan opini publik dan framing serta konstruksi suatu isu, (3) leverage politics, merupakan kemampuan dalam memengaruhi situasi tertentu pada saat salah satu pihak tidak mampu memberikan pengaruh, dan (4) accountability politics, adalah usaha dalam mempertahankan aktor yang berkuasa agar tetap memegang kebijakan yang telah ditetapkan.

Children Claiming the Future of Human Rights

This chapter examines a number of child human rights leaders around the world and how they are utilizing existing activist networks and the courts to effect social change. In doing so, these “global kids” are also changing the nature of human rights activism by employing evolving social technologies and networking strategies for social movements. The chapter begins with a discussion of the Juliana v. US federal court case, in which the plaintiffs were twenty-one children suing for protection of their environmental human rights. The dissent by Judge Staton effectively establishes the legal standing of children in courts in the United States and, as a precedent, for similar cases abroad. The child activists’ reliance on and expansion of transnational advocacy networks expands the definition of “global civil society.” Both in their courtroom participation and in other forms of activism, children are proving effective as advocates for their own public agency.

Internationalized science and human rights activism during the late Cold War: The French Committee of Mathematicians

This article examines the ties between an internationalised science and transnational activism, in particular for causes considered universal, such as defending human rights, during the late Cold War. It focuses on a scientific network that supported mathematicians persecuted for their political views by both left- and right-wing undemocratic regimes. The Committee of Mathematicians was founded in 1974 and was active for a decade, built incrementally as a transnational advocacy network located in several Western countries. Focussing primarily on the Committee’s French component, this article investigates the social and organisational underpinnings of its transnational action and defence of universal principles. It examines the modes of action and how they were shaped by scientists’ professional and even disciplinary affiliations. These focal points allow an interrogation of the place the committee occupied within the space of human rights activism. The article aims to contribute to a historical sociology of the ties between science and politics and of the transnational trends that strained national frameworks, while moving away from an approach focussed solely on political macrotrends that fuelled the Cold War.

International Efforts to Combat Corruption

Attempts to improve the domestic quality of government often involve international arrangements and the fight against corruption is a prominent example. Since the 1990s, anticorruption pledges, international treaties, soft law arrangements, transnational advocacy campaigns, and other commitments have proliferated to control bribery and corruption in a range of contexts. This chapter surveys the literature on the emergence and characteristics of these various initiatives and provides an overview of what is known about their impacts on policy and discourse, law, and behavior. While empirical evidence on the impact of international anticorruption efforts is mixed, existing studies and directions for future research suggest that the quality of government in highly developed states is crucial when it comes to controlling transnational business bribery, money laundering, and other illicit financial flows.

Jaringan Advokasi Transnasional (GAATW) dalam Penyelesaian Isu Migrasi Pekerja Perempuan dan Perdagangan Manusia di Asia Tenggara

Southeast Asia is one of the regions that has a fairly high rate of labor migration, both as a contributor and a recipient country. However, this is not equated with strict regulations and laws. Violations of the rights of migrant workers are common in several countries. Unfortunately, ASEAN as a regional regional organization has not been able to provide targeted advocacy. The Transnational Advocacy Network (TAN) is here to provide recommendations and advocacy to migrant workers across countries. In this article, the transnational advocacy network that will be studied further is the Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women (GAATW) which has been actively advocating and providing policy recommendations to five countries in Southeast Asia, namely Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The research method used in this study is a qualitative method using secondary data. In this study, we can see how GAATW cooperates with several migrant worker unions in these countries, either by conducting research, advocating for victims, or by publishing publications aimed at the public and the government.

The Strategies of Transnational Advocacy Networks: A Support to Anti-Fracking Movement In The United Kingdom (2013-2019)

The implementation of fracking activities in the United Kingdom that involves the pumping of water, chemicals, and sand underground to explore shale gas has caused several hazardous impacts. This situation has sparked protests from various kinds of demonstrators, both individuals and organizations. In response to the public objection to fracking activities, the British Government tended to fight back against the action. The detention of demonstrators ultimately created a pattern of limited advocacy among the public against the British Government. It has prompted an NGO called Friends of the Earth to start mobilizing these issues to the international realm by promoting principled ideas or norms to form a transnational network, aiming to influence national policy. The authors explain the transnational advocacy network's role in influencing British policy by applying the concept of Transnational Advocacy Network (TAN) from Margaret E. Keck and Kathryn Sikkink. Specifically, the role is analysed based on TAN’s strategies, namely Information Politics, Symbolic Politics, Leverage Politics, and Accountability Politics. The authors also use Constructivism Theory to explain how norms and ideas can influence national policy. This research uses qualitative methods with secondary data collection techniques to describe and interpret some relevant phenomena to become an integrated explanation.