Global Citizen

“This highly readable collection focuses on the issue of global civil society. This is (rather narrowly) defined as ‘the arena in which people come together to advance their interests they hold in common, not for profit or political power, but because they care enough about something to take collective action’ (Edwards, p.2).

There is an immediate problem with this definition. The focus of the book is on NGOs and social movements. Such movements are certainly a key part of global civil society, but are not all of it.”
Kiely, Ray

Edited by Michael Edwards and John Gaventa

Civil society, or citizen’s groups, have taken centre stage in international policy debates and global problem solving. They hold out the promise of a global community and global governance. 

This volume, by leading scholars and participants, shows how to understand the changes that are occurring, particularly in relation to the international institutions involved. It includes case studies from all the major social movements of the 1990s.

Introduction  by Michael Edwards

Part 1 Conceptual frameworks

  • Ethical globalization by John Clark
  • Transnational civil society  by Ann Florini

Part II Global Campaigns Global Civil Society and the International Financial Institutions

  • Transnational civil society coalitions and the World Bank by David Brown and Jonathan Fox
  • Information, location and legitimacy by Paul Nelson
  •  Constructing a Southern constituency for global advocacy by Manuel Chiriboga
  • The IMF and civil society  by Jan  Aart Scholte
  • Civil society participation in multilateral lending operations by Diana Tussie and Maria Fernanda Tuozzo

Part III Global Campaigns

  • Landmines: NGO-government collaboration by Matthew Scott
  • Jubilee 2000 by Carole Collins, Zie Gariyo and Tony Burdon
  • Cross-border organizing around alternatives to free trade  by John Cavanagh, Sarah Anderson and Karen Hansen Kuhn
  •  National coalitions and global campaigns: The International Children’s Rights Movement by Tom Lent and Roy Trivedy
  • The global spread of participatory approaches to development by Kamal Singh
  • Global citizen action on the environment  by Peter Newell
  • From the corridors of power to the global negotiating table by Felix Dodds

Part  IV Lessons Learned

  • International networking for women’s human rights  by Charlotte Bunch with Peggy Antrobus, Samantha Frost and Niamh Reilly
  • Community exchanges for urban transformation  by Sheela Patel, Joel Bolnick and Diana Mitlin
  •  NGOs, research and international advocacy  by Caroline Harper
  •  Effective international campaigns by Jennifer Chapman
  • Global citizen action  by John Gaventa