Trans-Border Citizens

Jeff Moon is Head of the Maps, Data, & Government Information Centre (MADGIC), at Queen's University

The influence of NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) on our lives is
becoming more prominent in our increasingly “global” community.
Individuals and organizations representing other countries or
nondomestic interest groups are demanding a role in national
decision-making.

Trans-Border Citizens is a compilation of the proceedings of Forum XI
of the North American Institute, itself an NGO created to encourage a
“tri-nation way of thinking and better ways to coordinate policies ...
to achieve more effective public management.” The proceedings cover a
broad range of perspectives on the role of NGOs, the role of democracy,
the changing face of “national interest,” and on such topics as the
environment, technology, philanthropy, and NGO funding.

To the uninitiated, all this may seem daunting. The contributors deal
with NGOs, ENGOs (environmental NGOs), INGOs (international NGOs),
QUANGOS (quasi-autonomous NGOs), GONGOs (government-organized NGOs), and
even NONOs (nonorganizations—that informal “sector where health,
education, and welfare services are delivered directly in the home, and
in the community”). However, for those interested in the apparently
booming “influence industry” in North America, this book should be
required reading.