How Successful Transnational Non-governmental Organizations Set Themselves up for Failure on the Ground

This paper examines transnational non-governmental organization (TNGO) influence on global, national, or local policy arenas, as well as how a TNGO's actions in one arena might aid or encumber its effectiveness in another. It expands Steinberg's spheres of influence framework (2001, 2003) to create a new capacity typology. Through examining Conservation International's work in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, this paper demonstrates the "paradox of global capacity": a phenomenon where a TNGO prioritizes certain capacities that paradoxically grant it access to work at the local level while impeding its efforts to create lasting change there. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.