Transnational Communities

Transnational communities are social groups that emerge from mutual interaction across national boundaries, oriented around a common project or 'imagined' identity. This common project or identity is constructed and sustained through the active engagement and involvement of at least some of its members. Such communities can overlap in different ways with formal organizations but, in principle, they do not need formal organization to be sustained. This book explores the role of transnational communities in relation to the governance of business and economic activity. It does so by focusing on a wide range of empirical terrains, including discussions of the Laleli market in Istanbul, the institutionalization of private equity in Japan, the transnational movement for open content licenses, and the mobilization around environmental certification. These studies show that transnational communities can align the cognitive and normative orientations of their members over time and thereby influence emergent transnational governance arrangements.

Review of the hardback: 'Djelic and Quack are to be warmly congratulated on drawing together a group of scholars to explore an understudied yet significant phenomenon - the emergence and evolution of transnational 'communities'. Harnessed by this common theme (the guiding hands of the editors are clearly present), the contributions are refreshingly wide-ranging and international in scope. This is an important work and should be widely read.' Royston Greenwood, University of Alberta School of Business, and University of Oxford, Review of the hardback: 'Is global governance possible at all? While all signs seem to point towards a conclusion that a centralized global political governance is both impossible and undesirable, the editors and chapter authors of Transnational Communities explore a fascinating alternative. Far from being local, communities now extend beyond national and organizational borders, thus constructing forms of economic governance that are hidden from scrutiny of scholars intent on studying formal structures. This innovative and informative volume will interest political scientists, sociologists, organization theorists and economists alike. Well written and well edited, it presents an array of specific issues, which are strictly subordinated to the main theme.' Barbara Czarniawska, University of Gothenburg, Review of the hardback: 'Djelic and Quack have assembled an outstanding volume on transnational communities and how they shape global economic governance. It will be the key point of reference in the field for some time to come.' David Held, London School of Economics and Political Science

Marie-Laure Djelic is Professor of Management at ESSEC Business School, France. She is the author of Exporting the American Model (1998), which obtained the 2000 Max Weber Award for the Best Book in Organizational Sociology from the American Sociological Association. Sigrid Quack is Head of the Institution Building Across Borders research group at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne, and Associate Professor in the Faculty for Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Cologne.