Non-governmental organizations, boomerangs, and forest loss: a cross-national analysis

On the one hand, some research finds that higher numbers of domestic non-governmental organizations (NOGs) are related to less forest loss, while others find that higher numbers of international NGOs are related to less forest loss. Moreover, some find that neither domestic nor international NGOs have an impact on forest loss. We argue that Keck and Sikkink’s insight regarding a boomerang pattern of influence between domestic and international NGOs is the missing piece of the puzzle regarding past contradictory findings. While the activities of domestic NGOs should be successful at reducing forest loss given their local accountability and closeness to affected populations, their efforts could be more effective when combined with the resources and power of international NGOs. To test this hypothesis, we use ordinary least squares regression analysis for a sample of 75 low- and middle-income nations to see how the interaction between domestic and international NGOs impacts forest loss. In support of the ‘boomerang effect,’ we find domestic NGOs are related to less forest loss in low- and middle-income nations with higher rather than lower numbers of international NGOs. The findings suggest that international NGOs enhance the ability of domestic NGOs to decrease forest loss by providing financial and organizational resources.