Political Species: The Evolution and Diversity of Private Organizations in Politics

In Political Species, Karsten Ronit expertly argues that evolutionary biology can provide important sources of inspiration for analyzing the proliferation of private actors/organizations in domestic and global politics. Focusing on the evolution of a diversity of such private actors/organizations in politics, Ronit emphasizes that individuals are affected by and contribute to societal, cultural, and political evolution through a range of formal organizations and that societies, cultures, and politics influence and build upon values and norms transmitted by individuals via these formal organizations. By being mindful of these contextual factors and keeping in mind the important research done in the micro- and macro-perspectives, we can gain a better understanding of the diversity of private actors/organizations and how they evolve and adapt. Evolutionary biology teaches us that over time, different varieties emerge, specialize, and adapt to the ever-changing conditions in complex environments before accumulating into new species. Much change characterizes these processes of political evolution because actors constantly emerge and add to the existing population of private actors that, in one way or another, are engaged in politics.

Karsten Ronit is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He has been a visiting professor at universities and research institutions in Germany, the USA, Canada and Australia. He is former chair of the Research Committee 38 on Politics and Business of the International Political Science Association. He is a reviewer of manuscripts for different journals and presses and national research councils. He has a broad competence in the study of organized interests with special expertise in business and employer associations, civil society organizations and other intermediary institutions. He takes an interest in the comparative aspects of politics and business and examines how business and civil society operate in different national contexts. He is also engaged in projects examining the behavior of business and civil society organizations at the international level, and how business and civil society organizations are involved in policy-making with intergovernmental agencies. He has published in a number of international journals, contributed to many books and has most recently published the monographs Global Consumer Organizations (Routledge, 2015) and Global Business Associations (Routledge, 2018).