Transnational and Domestic Relations of NGOs in Brazil

SummaryThis paper, following an analysis developed by Stark et al. [Stark, D., Vedres, B., & Bruszt, L. (2006). Rooted transnational publics: integrating foreign ties and civic activism. Theory and Society, 35(3), 323–349] in Hungary, investigates whether NGOs that engage in transnational interactions are becoming less domestically integrated. We first comment on the proliferation of civic organizations and the hopes they have brought for a borderless civil society. Secondly, we discuss the literature on the implications of the north–south power asymmetry and the dependency on foreign funds for the accountability and responsiveness of South NGOs. The third section looks at survey data for Brazil to check if the concerns of the literature about the combination of domestic and foreign ties hold true.