Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play an increasingly prominent role in addressing complex environmental issues such as climate change, persistent bio-accumulative pollutants, and the conservation of biodiversity. At the same time, the landscape in which they operate is changing rapidly. Markets, and direct engagement with industry, rather than traditional government regulation, are often the tools of choice for NGOs seeking to change corporate behavior today. Yet these new strategies are poorly understood-by business, academics, and NGOs themselves. How will NGOs choose which battles to fight, differentiate themselves from one another in order to attract membership and funding, and decide when to form alliances and when to work separately? In Good Cop/Bad Cop, Thomas P. Lyon brings together perspectives on environmental NGOs from leading social scientists, as well as leaders from within the NGO and corporate worlds, to assess the state of knowledge on the tactics and the effectiveness of environmental groups. Contributions from Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the World Wildlife Fund describe each organization's structure and key objectives, and present case studies that illustrate how each organization makes a difference, especially with regard to its strategies toward corporate engagement. To provide additional perspective, high-level executives from BP and Ford share their views on what causes these relationships between companies and NGOs to either succeed or fail. For students of the social sciences and NGO practitioners, this book takes an important step in addressing an urgent need for objective study of NGO operations and their effectiveness.

About the Author
Thomas P. Lyon is the Dow Professor of Sustainable Science, Technology and Commerce at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a former Gilbert F. White Fellow at Resources for the Future. He is the editor of The Political Economy of Regulation and the author of Corporate Environmentalism and Public Policy.

Reviews

'A unique and essential resource. This book is a must read for businesses and NGOs as we work to develop new collaborations to solve the worlds major challenges.'
Neil C. Hawkins, Vice President of Sustainability and Environment, Health and Safety, The Dow Chemical Company

'NGOs - in various shapes and forms - play a critical role in the formation and implementation of environmental policy. This splendid volume weaves insights from different disciplinary backgrounds into a cohesive and compelling whole. An excellent book on an important topic, and I would commend it to anyone with a stake in understanding environmental policy in the 21st century.'
Anthony Heyes, University of London

'Good Cop Bad Cop makes a valuable and timely contribution to the emerging domain of private politics - in which private citizens and institutions aim at changing legislative practices and culture without being part of the electoral process.'
Sudhirendar Sharma, d-sector.org

Book Information
ISBN 9781933115771
Author Thomas Lyon
Format Paperback
Page Count 302
Imprint Resources for the Future Press (RFF Press)
Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc
Weight(grams) 430g