Organizational Sets, Populations and Fields: Evolving Board Interlocks and Environmental NGOs

Abstract

This paper redirects the study of heterogeneity in field-level studies. Through an empirical examination of board interlocks between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and corporations and foundations, this paper analyzes changes at three levels − the organizational field, population and set. Our study finds that nearly half of the NGOs in our sample have no interlocks with corporations and foundations, and that there is a strong presence of corporate ties with the remaining NGOs. Between 2000 and 2005, we find that NGO ties with foundations and other NGOs are increasing in number and density, and that the field is showing increasing centralization of a small number of NGOs. We propose that attention to these micro-levels of the organizational population and set provides a more nuanced understanding of how change occurs at the macro level levels of the organizational field.