Overview - global/local - states, companies and civil society at the end of the twentieth century, T.M. Shaw; from local organizations to global governance - the role of NGOs in international relations, P. Uvin; state/society complexes and the new multilateralism - creating space for hetarchic governance; W.A. Knight; sovereignty and NGOs, C. Kilby; social movements, international institutions, and local empowerment, J. Smith; mobilizing identities - transnational social movements and the promotion of human rights, H. Schmitz; a rational choice model of grassroots empowerment, K. Stiles; an "Ambitious and Extensive Political Agenda" - the role of NGOs and the aid industry, J. Hanlon; conclusion - is there a need for a new theory?, K. Stiles.