Abstract:
This thesis applies a Neo-Gramscian analysis to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in New Zealand, in particular focusing on the Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) in the political debate on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and as a civil society actor in an environment hostile to its aims.
CAFCA are a left-wing political CSO, active from 1975 to the present day. While the attempt by CAFCA to conduct a successful political campaign around foreign ownership in New Zealand may appear to have failed to influence government policy significantly, the longevity of the group and the maintenance of the integrity of its message suggest that, despite the political marginalisation of the group, CAFCA were still able to make a significant contribution to political debate and the public sphere on FDI in New Zealand. While CAFCA were marginalised by the growing influence of neoliberalism and related models of globalisation, both combining to ‘depoliticise’ civil society, CAFCA may also demonstrate how a CSO can play a political role in civil society, particularly in a neoliberal environment.
I provide examples of CAFCA acting as a journal of record, a resource for others, and discuss how this role can be undertaken and sustained. I also suggest that the full impact of this role cannot always be ascertained in the short term, and can best be seen as part of a longer-term view. Drawing from a detailed qualitative case study of CAFCA, I attempt to develop the possibilities for theory generation concerning the journal of record role, and offer some suggestions as to how this may contribute to the literature on CSOs.
Little in the contemporary literature acknowledges the role of political CSOs, particularly in relation to FDI and its impacts. While transnational versions of political associations are seen as the main indicators of a growing “global civil society”, Jackie Smith and Debra Minkoff highlight how the contribution of political CSOs to civil society at the national level is ignored. By highlighting CAFCA as an organisation I aim to address this lacuna in the literature, in the hope this will provide insights into how the role of similar political CSOs can be assessed.
