Explaining Transnational Access to International Institutions.

One of the most profound trends in global governance over the past two decades is the growing extent to which transnational actors have been granted access to international institutions. The source of this development is a subject that so far has received limited systematic attention by international relations theorists. This paper addresses that gap by suggesting three alternative approaches, each offering a distinct explanation of transnational access to international institutions. The first approach privileges concerns about functional efficiency, highlighting the benefits to states and international institutions of engaging transnational actors. The second approach emphasizes concerns about democratic legitimacy, and suggests that we have witnessed the spread of a new norm of what constitutes legitimate governance at the international level. The third approach stresses concerns about power distribution, conceiving of transnational actors as instruments in state competition. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]