A World of Meta-Organizations

Meta-organizations – organizations with other organizations as members – are everywhere. They exert significant influence over markets, public policies and their own members.

In this insightful book, the authors argue that the contemporary world cannot be fully understood without understanding how meta-organizations function. They explain why meta-organizations are established, what they do and how they achieve their societal impact. Chapters describe and analyse meta-organizations in various social sectors and with various levels of outreach, from the G20 and Mercosur to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, regional collectives of music festivals and women’s cause associations.

This book is a valuable resource for scholars and students researching management, organization studies, sociology, political science and international relations. It will greatly benefit practitioners in organizational management and public policy, as well as journalists and social action groups interested in how the contemporary world is organized and governed.

Edited by Héloïse Berkowitz, LEST, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, Aix en Provence, France, Sanne Bor, LUT University, Finland and Nils Brunsson, Uppsala University and Stockholm Centre for Organizational Research (Score), Sweden