The power of peers: how transnational advocacy networks shape NGO strategies on climate change

What explains variation in the tactical choices of NGOs? This paper uses network autocorrelation models to establish how the tactical choices of climate change NGOs are shaped by their embeddedness in transnational advocacy networks. Specifically, we find that NGOs are more likely to adopt protest tactics when adjacent organizations – those with whom they have direct ties – have already done so. The choices of equivalent organizations – those that occupy similar relational roles in the network – do not appear to be influential. Qualitative evidence also shows that NGOs are affected by relational pressure from their peers, altering their perception of costs and benefits. These findings enhance our understanding of how networks influence the behavior of actors and offer insight into the relational processes that generate protest in global politics.