The agenda-setting capacity of global networks

Abstract

This chapter examines the agenda-setting capacity of global policy networks. It argues that the capacity of global networks to promote new ideas and understanding about issues at the global scale depends on their ability to produce information and indicators, to quantify the magnitude of issues and the consequences of inaction, and to take advantage of the opportunities generated by political transformations and preference shifts. Yet, it recognizes that once global networks are formally institutionalized, they become important gatekeepers, preventing the entry of certain issues and ideas onto the political agenda, by adopting above all a strategy of non-decision. The chapter also highlights some of the theoretical and methodological shortcomings of this line of research, especially those regarding legitimacy and political representation.