Globalizing Civic Engagement: Civil Society and Transnational Action

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 224 pages
• Published by: Earthscan Publications Ltd. July 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1853839884
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1853839887
• Book Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 1 pounds

Product Description
This collection of essays by leading experts on civil society and globalization looks at what civil society organizations (CSOs) can achieve, and the barriers they face, when they break through national boundaries and out of sectoral moulds to work with others in global networks. It charts the experience of various civil society initiatives, all of which relate strongly to the question of globalization.
CSOs until recently were mostly organized at national or local levels, but new global organizations or networks are increasingly emerging. The case studies show how transnational action can yield impressive results – particularly in changing policies and public attitudes. The range of CSOs studied is diverse but all reveal a remarkably similar array of practical challenges, from structure and leadership issues to governance dilemmas. The book is intended to offer practical guidance to those engaged with CSOs as well as contribute to academic enquiry about civil society.

About The Author
John D. Clark has worked with development NGOs, the World Bank, universities, and as and adviser to governments on development and civil society issues. His career has focused on poverty reduction and bridging the gap between grassroots organizations and official agencies. He is currently Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Civil Society, London School of Economics, and has served on a Task Force advising UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on Africa. From 1992 to 2000 he worked for the World Bank as manager of the NGO and Civil Society Unit and then as Lead Social Development Specialist for East Asia. Before that he worked in NGOs for 18 years, mostly with Oxfam UK where he led campaigns operations and managed Oxfam’s advocacy with official agencies and Northern governments on aid, debt and trade issues.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Globalizing Civic Engagement: Civil Society and Transnational Action (Paperback) This is the type of book that sticks to a very dry and theoretical research focus, and appears to have little personality, but beneath the academic dross many interesting concepts and insights emerge. The essays here analyze worldwide social movements - most of which, but not all, are involved in anti-globalization protests. The presence of tens of thousands of protesters at the WTO conference in Seattle, and likewise in more recent meetings in other countries, shows that the protesters are organized and serious about their concerns, despite what the media tells you. In this book we find that a myriad of small and diverse groups dedicated to all sorts of causes have come together for the larger fight. The authors analyze the structures and methods of group organization, using mostly theories from sociology or political science, and this is where the most useful information develops. Especially interesting is the chapter studying the use of the Internet for widespread protest mobilization, plus chapters on the dynamics of movements for third world debt forgiveness and distribution of AIDS drugs. Beneath the dry academic writing is a lot of very useful information on how concerned individuals and groups can mobilize and organize in the most effective ways, for the greatest impact of their ideas. Hopefully this unexpectedly useful book will find its way into their hands. [~doomsdayer520~]