Radically nice : an analysis of the institutionalization and professionalization of Greenpeace Switzerland

Abstract: Observing the seeming incapability of nations to sufficiently deal with the borderless threat of climate change, many place their hopes on international environmental movements and organi-zations. However, various reasons drive many social movements to incorporate as NGOs (a phe-nomenon known as NGOization) or lead to existing organizations becoming even more institu-tionalized and professional. The latter happened with Greenpeace Switzerland, a branch of the well-known international environmental organization Greenpeace. Through qualitative inter-views with long-term employees and volunteers of Greenpeace Switzerland, an understanding of their perspective on these changes is sought. Drawing on concepts and theories of Environmen-tal History and Political Sociology, the findings are put into a wider frame of reference, trying to unravel how these changes might impact the NGO’s capacity to create social change. On one hand, these processes might bring about more legitimacy to the organization, improve their rela-tionship to other institutions such as governments and result in the organization gaining insider access to policymaking. On the other hand, they might negatively impact an organizations’ will-ingness to cooperate with other environmental movement actors or actively engage their sup-porters in actions beyond financial donations. Furthermore, the changes might negatively affect volunteers' and employees' motivation to engage with the organization.