1) Bibliographic data
Smith, Jackie (1998), “Global Civil Society? Transnational Social Movement Organizations and Social Capital,” The American Behavioural Scientist, V42-1: 93-107.

2) Question(s) addressed by the author and working arguments
Do transnational social movement organizations (TSMO’s) help cultivate the social capital relevant to a politically engaged global civil society? The institution-shaping role of political change organizations is perhaps more obvious when one examines international political institutions, which have developed mostly within the last century. Transnational social movements and other civil society organizations have been important forces in shaping the structures of international political institutions and in influencing the operations of those institutions.
Not only can one argue that transnational social movements have influenced the formation and functioning of international institutions, but in doing so, they have helped to democratize the international polity, which formally limits participation to national governments. The growth of TSMO’s can be read as response to the growing tendency of states to turn to interstates negotiations to solve problems related to increasingly porous national boundaries.
TSMO’s tend to be based in the Northern Hemisphere, and a disproportionate number are located in cities like London and New York. There is clearly a trend that showing that TSMO’s are increasingly based in developing countries and that they are attracting members and staff from regions once unrepresented in transnational activist circles.
The emergence of transnational structures to advance social change goals suggest that social change advocates face new threats or opportunities requiring interest articulation structures that transcend local and national politics. Designed to bring together activists for more than two countries around a particular set of social change goals, these organizations promote transnational collective action in response to global changes.
TSMO’s serve as mediators between local interest and identities and global institutions.
Social movement activists around the world increasingly find themselves faced with problems that are beyond the domain of national policy frameworks. The links generated by TSMO’s among constituencies that have thin social infrastructures can serve to promote collective identities among culturally diverse individuals who might otherwise feel isolated and powerless.
TSMO participation in international politics helps enfranchise individuals and groups that are formally excluded from participation in international institutions.
TSMO also help generate alternative policy proposals to global agendas and advance this proposals through the policy process. TSMO activities help democratize global politics by providing avenues for actors others than governments to influence the public agenda and the decision taken in global political contexts, by increasing governments’ accountability to a global public , and by expanding public debate about the issues considered in international context.

3) Conceptual references to transnational – transnationalism
transnational social movement organizations (TSMO’s), transnational collective action, transnational structures, transnational activist circles, transnational social movements, transnationally organized citizens’, Transnational dialogues and perspectives.

4) Conclusions or Final Remarks
The expansion of transnationally organized citizens’ associations in general and of TSMO’s in particular reflects a deeping global civil society. TSMO’s provide opportunities for activists to engage in international dialogue on global problems. Transnational dialogues and perspectives on global problems also influence how movement participants define their own national political strategy.