2026/03/12 by May Farid, Hui Li · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Business, Management and Accounting · #International Development and Aid #Tourism, Volunteerism, and Development #Global trade, sustainability, and social impact
paper · doi:10.1093/ia/iiag040
openalex publication_date 2026/03/12 · openalex created_date 2026/05/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract Major global shifts are reshaping the landscape of transnational advocacy. First, the rise of powerful new development actors such as China has diversified the targets of advocacy, many of which are less responsive to traditional forms of international pressure. Second, a widespread contraction of civic space has imposed new constraints on international NGOs (INGOs). Foundational models of transnational advocacy, such as the boomerang and spiral models, have relied on powerful and normatively legitimate intermediaries, particularly liberal states and intergovernmental organizations. As these actors lose influence or legitimacy in an increasingly multipolar, securitized and contested global order, INGOs are finding that leveraging them can be ineffective or even counterproductive. This article theorizes how INGOs adapt their advocacy mechanisms under these conditions, drawing on 76 interviews and extensive archival data in the context of China's global development activities. We identify two disguised channels of influence: insider engagement through state-adjacent institutions within China and outsider engagement through civil society groups in host countries of Chinese development projects. While enabling influence, these adaptations carry trade-offs, including risks to local agency, transparency and legitimacy. By extending transnational advocacy theory to account for disguised channels of influence under geopolitical and authoritarian constraint, this article contributes to emerging debates on global governance, civil society resilience and community agency in a shifting global order.