Nina’s most recent book is Transnational Advocacy in the Digital Era, Think Global, Act Local (Oxford University Press, 2022). The book explores the role of digital advocacy organizations, a major new addition to the international arena. Organizations such as MoveOn, GetUp, and Campact derive power and influence from their ability to rapidly mobilize members on-line and off-line and are shaping public opinion on many issues including climate change, trade, and refugees. The book provides a detailed investigation of how these organizations have harnessed digitally networked power and can quickly respond to the most salient issues of the day, and mobilize large memberships, to put pressure on politicians. These organizations operate in a globalized world but tackle transnational problems by focusing on national targets. This new generation of activists have formed a strong transnational network, but still see the state as the locus of power.

As part of this research she has written on: the distinctiveness of this form of advocacy, the challenges of mobilizing people for progressive causes in the populist era,  how digital advocacy organizations have campaigned for refugee rights and the backlash against “welcome refugee” campaigns. In 2019 she edited a special issue of the Journal of Information Technology and Politics on innovation and adaptation in advocacy during the digital eras.

She is currently working with the Weizenbaum Institute (the German Internet Institute) in Berlin to examine how the far-right are using digital platforms to organise.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Hall, Nina. Transnational Advocacy in the Digital Era, Think Global, Act Local, Oxford University Press, Oxford University Press, 2022.

Hall, Nina, Hans Schmitz, and Michael Dedmon. “Transnational Advocacy and NGOs in the Digital Era: What’s Changing and Why?”, International Studies Quarterly, 07 August 2019.

Hall, Nina. “Norm Contestation in the Digital Era, Campaigning for Refugees Rights” International Affairs, 95 (3), May 2019.

Hall, Nina. 2019. “When do Refugees Matter? The Importance of Issue-Salience for Digital Advocacy Organizations”, Interest Groups & Advocacy, 8 (3), 333-355.

Work in Progress

Hall, Nina, Annett Heft, and Michael Vaughan. “Copycats?: Explaining cross-partisan emulation of digital advocacy organizations from left to right”. Collaboration with the Weizenbaum Institute (German Internet Institute, Berlin).

Hall, Nina. “The Importance of Organizational Form”, work in progress.

Hall, Nina, Charles Lawrie, and Sahar Priano “Progressive Politics & the European Climate Movement”, Chapter for Progressive Politics Handbook, ed. Alice Mattoni, Collaboration with two former SAIS Masters students.

Other Publications

Hall, Nina. “Sticking to the State: Transnational Advocacy Networks in the Digital Era”, Chapter in C. Bjola and M. Kornprobst, Digital International Relations, Cambridge University Press, (forthcoming).

Hall, Nina and Alexandra Budabin. “Shrinking Digital Spaces: The Hijacking of #Refugees Welcome Campaigns on Twitter”, Chapter in Donatella della Porta and Elias Steinhilper (eds.) Contentious Migrant Solidarity, Shrinking Spaces and Civil Society Contestation, Routledge, 2022.

Hall, Nina and James Dennis (eds.). “Innovation and Adaptation in Advocacy Organizations throughout the Digital Eras”, Journal of Information Technology and Politics, 17:2, 79-86, 2020.

Hall, Nina. “Review of Paolo Gerbaudo, The Digital Party” in International Sociology, 34 (5), September 2019.

Hall, Nina, et al. “The Future of Transnational NGO Advocacy”, Stanford Social Innovation Review, May 2019.

Hall, Nina. “Innovations in activism in the digital era”, Chapter 8 in The Governance Report 2016 – 2017, Hertie School of Governance, May 2017.

Hall, Nina and Phil Ireland, “Transforming Activism: Digital Era Advocacy Organizations”, Stanford Social Innovation Review, July 6 2016.

Hall, Nina. “People power, populism and the internet”, Global Policy, 11 July 2017