O papel das Organizações Não Governamentais no processo internacionalização de políticas públicas: uma análise sobre a atuação do ICLEI- Governos Locais pela Sustentabilidade

Abstract

International Organizations (IOs) are an active part of international relations (IR) and play an important role in cooperation relations and in the development of mechanisms and tools for interaction among states. In the international system, the IOs are divided into two major groups: the Governmental International Organizations and the Non-Governmental International Organizations (INGOs), both are considered actors with a high degree of institutionalization capable of promoting good practices and producing collective public goods. The end of the Cold War and the advance of globalization influenced a new and more intense international arrangement, which collaborated with the growth of the presence of external actors in the domestic politics of states and, at the same time, contributed to a greater presence of the state, national or subnational, in the international system. In this context, the process of internationalization of public policies gains strength. This new dynamic of the system has boosted the development of studies and research in the field of public policies and international relations. However, a significant part of these studies focus on the role and performance of governmental actors, such as the State and intergovernmental organizations, often ignoring the role of non-state actors, such as INGOs. In this context, this paper is dedicated to answering two questions: What is the role played by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) in the process of internationalization of public policies? and the secondary question - How are INGOs linked to governmental actors (national and subnational entities) in the process of internationalization of policies? To this end, this work is based on a bibliographic review and an exploratory case analysis of an international non-governmental organization, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability. This paper is structured in three chapters, besides the introduction and the final considerations. The first presents the theoretical and conceptual framework of international organizations and the characteristics of non-governmental organizations; the second presents a brief conceptualization of the process of internationalization of public policies and the role of IOs in this process; and the third presents ICLEI and the paths followed by the organization to engage the relationship with local governments and influence the process of internationalization of public policies.