Beyond the Margins: Professional Associations as Transnational Actors in the Globalizing Professionalization Landscape

Professional associations have long shaped professions, economies, and societies, yet they remain marginalized within the sociology of professions and professional organization studies. This thesis, Beyond the Margins: Professional Associations as Transnational Actors in the Globalizing Professionalization Landscape, repositions these organizations as pivotal institutional actors by addressing three interrelated research gaps: their neglect in scholarship, the absence of theorization on their internationalization, and the inadequacy of canonical Western models of professionalization in explaining trajectories in developing countries.

To address these gaps, the thesis comprises three interlinked studies. The first paper consolidates fragmented scholarship through a systematic review of 210 publications spanning ninety years. It develops a three-perspective framework: from within, inside-out, and outside-in, to conceptualize associations at organizational, institutional, and societal levels. This framework also reveals gaps in literature, particularly around their transnational roles, which inform the subsequent studies. The second paper extends internationalization theory to professional associations by examining how UK associations expand their professionalization frameworks abroad. Using a sequential mixed methods design to analyze 27 survey responses and documents from 151 qualifying bodies, it introduces a maturity model with three strategies: Resource Centralization, International Partnership, and Glocalization. The findings show that firm-based models are not transferable, as associations internationalize incrementally through layered and hybrid strategies. This emphasizes their role as active transnational actors in global professional governance. The third paper investigates actuarial science and coaching in Thailand, a non-colonized, market-oriented developing country. Using qualitative case studies, it introduces a novel model of professionalization from outside, where globally recognized associations act as primary actors. Legitimacy, knowledge, and closure are rooted in external frameworks perceived as global standards, creating dependency, institutional distance, and power asymmetries.

Theoretically, the thesis advances new frameworks, empirically it provides evidence across diverse contexts, and practically it offers guidance for associations and policymakers navigating governance, internationalization, and professionalization in an increasingly globalized world. Additionally, it underscores broader implications for practice and establishes a forward-looking research agenda that advances the sociology of professions, deepens the study of professional associations, and contributes to wider debates in the global political economy.