The Transnational NGO Initiative Crossing boundaries and mixing methods Presentation at the ISA Conference February 20 th, 2010 :: New Orleans

The Research Problem  Literature primarily focuses on large and successful organizations/campaigns  Gap between in-depth case studies and (few) large-n datasets  Basic questions about TNGOs are unanswered  What are their goals and obstacles?  What does it mean for them to be effective?  To whom are they accountable? 2

TNGO Study Design  Selection Charity Navigator database of international nonprofits (2005) with 501(c)(3) status in the US Proportionate stratified random sampling based on size, sector and fiscal health  Data collection Confidential interviews with 152 TNGO leaders across the US (average of 84 minutes) About 209 hours of interviews recorded and transcribed 3

Sampling PopulationSample %N%n Environment15%4914%22 Human Rights14%4814%21 Humanitarian Relief21%6921%32 Sustainable Development42%14142%64 Conflict Resolution8%279%13 Total Small40%13237%56 Medium40%13542%64 Large20%6721%32 Total Low Efficiency/Low Capacity12%4014%22 Low Efficiency/High Capacity11%389%13 High Efficiency/Low Capacity27%9023%35 High Efficiency/High Capacity50%16654%82 Total

Interview Protocol  Interview protocol developed by interdisciplinary research team and with input by TNGO leaders: 1) Changes in organizational goals and governance structures 2) Effectiveness 3) Accountability 4) Funding as related to effectiveness and accountability 5) Communication, collaboration, networks and partnerships 6) Leadership characteristics and preparation  68% response rate, 81% Presidents & CEOs 5

Data transformation  Qualitative coding Created a hierarchically organized codebook and implemented it in ATLAS.ti Designed to facilitate qualitative information retrieval and quantification Overall intercoder agreement:

Data sets created  Qualitative dataset Coded transcripts organized in ATLAS.ti for efficient retrieval of quotations Frequency count report from ATLAS.ti exported to Stata  Quantitative dataset Data transformed and labeled Primary and secondary data merged Dataset is 152 cases by about 400 variables 7

Advantages of Method  The best of both worlds Among the primary data, each datum is connected to the specific qualitative quotation from which it is derived Statistics are easily contextualized and interpreted We retain the qualitative nuance obtained from open-ended questioning 8

Research Output (1 of 2)  Research Design TNGO Research Group 2010: Challenges Facing Leaders of Transnational NGOs: Introducing New Data from a Cross-Sectoral Study; Paper presented at International Studies Association (ISA) Meeting, New Orleans, February Transnational NGO Research Group: The Transnational NGO Study. Rationale, Sampling and Research Process, Transnational NGO Initiative/Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.  Goals, strategies and activities Mitchell, George: Ideologies of Engagement: How Transnational NGO Leaders Conceptualize Mission and Strategy, Transnational NGO Initiative/Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.  Impact Schmitz, Hans Peter and George E. Mitchell 2009: Bracing for Impact, in Monday Developments 27 (4), Mitchell, George E. and Hans Peter Schmitz: The Strategic Pursuit of Impact: A Cross-Sectoral Analysis of Transnational NGOs, Transnational NGO Initiative/Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.  Effectiveness Mitchell, George: The Construct of Organizational Effectiveness: A Leadership Perspective, Transnational NGO Initiative/Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. 9

Research Output (2 of 2)  Accountability Raggo, Paloma 2008: Whose Accountability Is It Anyway, Paper presented at the 37th Annual ARNOVA Conference. Philadelphia, PA (recipient of 2008 Johnson Award for Best Paper in Ethics and Accountability in the Public Sector, Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh). Raggo, Paloma and Hans Peter Schmitz 2010: Governance Challenges of Transnational NGOs, Paper presented at the International Studies Association (ISA) Meeting, New Orleans, February Raggo, Paloma, Hans Peter Schmitz, and Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken: Accountability without learning? Transnational NGO leaders’ perspectives on the what, who, and how of accountability, Transnational NGO Initiative/Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.  Advocacy, networking and partnerships Lecy, Jesse D., George E. Mitchell, and Hans Peter Schmitz 2010: Advocacy organizations, networks, and the firm analogy, in Rethinking Advocacy Organizations. A Collective Action Perspective, ed. by Aseem Prakash and Mary Kay Gugerty, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (forthcoming). Abou Assi, Khaldoun, Ines Mergel, and Hans Peter Schmitz: Networks and Partnerships. How transnational NGO collaborate, Transnational NGO Initiative/Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. 10

Learn More  Take home a pamphlet  Check our website for updates:  Review the white paper, protocol, codebook and working papers  The quantitative dataset will be available soon to the public  inquires to: 11