ABSTRACT
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and labour have been discussed as representatives of so-called ‘new’ and ‘old’ social movements. This chapter, however, starts from a different point of view, by comparing transnational advocacy networks and international labour during the nineteenth century in order to show essential differences in international attitude that are relevant for understanding labour’s later international development. The chapter also attempts to reach beyond the European and North American assumptions and restrictions that are related to international labour. Finally, it does not restrict itself to transnational ties, i.e. relations between private actors from several nation-states, but includes international ties, i.e. relations between NGOs and labour on the one hand and inter-governmental organizations (IGOs) on the other.
