| Summary/Abstract |
Not-for-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are often considered norm entrepreneurs, or norm carriers, that contribute to the spread of norms such as those prohibiting torture or violence against women—for example, in the context of transnational advocacy networks (TANs). However, their role as norm takers is rarely studied even though it deserves attention. Whether NGOs implement norms—either by carrying out related projects themselves or by monitoring norm compliance by other actors—or whether they promote norms and translate them for other actors, they must first internalize these norms themselves. In order to be considered internalized, norms must be “so widely accepted that they…achieve a ‘taken-for-granted’ quality that makes conformance with the norm almost automatic” (Finnemore and Sikkink 1998, 904). Norm internalization can be studied in terms of translation, assuming that new norms “have to fight their way into institutional thinking” whereby “[i]nitially reluctant actors are persuaded to incorporate the novel ideas into their mental world-views” (Elgström 2000, 458). Studying norm internalization within NGOs is a worthwhile and important endeavor.
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