Agency of Individual Actors in Civil Society Organizations’ Advocacy: A Case Study of the Genesis of the Danish Aliens Act of 1983

Mikkel Witt Syberg*

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Research on civil society organizations’ advocacy has predominantly centered on examining societal and organizational structures as determining which organizations that engage in advocacy endeavors and whether they achieve influence. This structural determinism has instigated a growing body of research within the field emphasizing the agency of actors. Thus far, this new body of literature has tended to examine advocacy at the organizational level, thereby neglecting the impact of individual actors. This neglection is inconsistent with a related branch of organization studies, specifically the neo-institutional field, which long has recognized the relevance of studying individual actors’ role in change processes. This paper argues that it is similarly relevant to study the agency of individual actors in civil society organizations’ political advocacy. Through an archival case study utilizing analytical frameworks stemming from the neo-institutional concept of institutional entrepreneurship, the study examines how an individual actor influenced the law preparing process preceding the Danish Aliens Act of 1983. By outlining the significant impact of an individual actor in a legislative process, the paper underscores the need to integrate individual agency into civil society advocacy research to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of civil society organizations’ advocacy.
Original languageEnglish
JournalVOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations
Number of pages11
ISSN0957-8765
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 21 Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

Epub ahead of print. Published online: 21 January 2025.

Keywords

  • Civil society organizations
  • Advocacy
  • Individual agency
  • Institutional entrepreneurship

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