Trends in international civil society

Related to the documentation of international organizations carried out by the UIA is the analysis and commentary of trends in civil society. The Yearbook of International Organizations records these trends through tracking geographical locations and subject interests of its bodies, and generating statistics and graphical interpretations of these phenomena.

Further analysis of the preoccupations of international organizations has been conducted in Transnational Associations, the UIA’s journal (discontinued) which addressed major problems within the perspective of international civil society, and particularly nongovernmental organizations profiled in the Yearbook of International Organizations. It was intended to provide a forum for authoritative information and independent reflection on the increasing role played by non-state actors in the international system, and on its philosophical, political, economic or cultural implications. The approach is intrinsically interdisciplinary.

Other research conducted by the UIA related to the tracking of activities of civil society is by recording websites and online materials produced by and about these bodies. Resources are provided in our link directory, and include selected links to international organizations from the Yearbook of International Organizations, and web resources on global civil society.