Third Force, The; The Rise of Transnational Civil Society


Book Description

From the landmines campaign to the Seattle protests against the WTO, to the World Commission on Dams, transnational networks of civil society groups are seizing an ever-greater voice in how governments and corporations are managed. This volume addresses the issues raised by this change.




The Third Force


Book Description

From the landmines campaign to the Seattle protests against the WTO to the World Commission on Dams, transnational networks of civil society groups are seizing an ever-greater voice in how governments run countries and how corporations do business. This volume brings together a multinational group of authors to help policy makers, scholars, business people, and activists themselves understand the profound issues raised. Contributors include Fredrik Galtung, Rebecca Johnson, Sanjeev Khagram, Chetan Kumar, Motoko Mekata, Thomas Risse, P.J. Simmons, and Yahya Dehqanzada.




Restructuring World Politics


Book Description

A comprehensive look at the global movements that are transforming international relations.




NGOs


Book Description

In the first historical account of international NGOs, from the French Revolution to the present, Thomas Davies places the contemporary debate on transnational civil society in context. In contrast to the conventional wisdom, which sees transnational civil society as a recent development taking place along a linear trajectory, he explores the long history of international NGOs in terms of a cyclical process characterized by three major waves: the era to 1914, the inter-war years, and the period since the Second World War. The breadth of transnational civil society activities explored is unprecedented in its diversity, from business associations to humanitarian organizations, peace groups to socialist movements, feminist organizations to pan-nationalist groups. The geographical scope covered is also extensive, and the analysis is richly supported with reference to a diverse array of previously unexplored sources. By revealing the role of civil society rather than governmental actors in the major trans- formations of the past two-and-a-half centuries, this book is for anyone interested in obtaining a new perspective on world history. The analysis concludes in the second decade of the twenty-first century, providing insights into the trajectory of transnational civil society in the post-9/11 and post-financial crisis eras.




Transnational Civil Society and the World Bank


Book Description

Transnational civil society is often seen as an important contributor to the democratization of global governance. In their engagement with the World Bank, however, transnational civil society organizations prioritize pre-existing mission over responsiveness to claimed stakeholders and undercut the authority of developing country governments.




The Oxford Handbook of Social Movements


Book Description

The Handbook presents a most updated and comprehensive exploration of social movement research. It not only maps, but also expands the field of social movement studies, taking stock of recent developments in cognate areas of studies, within and beyond sociology and political science. While structured around traditional social movement concepts, each section combines the mapping of the state of the art with attempts to broaden our knowledge of social movements beyond classic theoretical agendas, and to identify the contribution that social movement studies can give to other fields of knowledge.




Civil Society Regionalization in Southern Africa


Book Description

This book investigates civil society regionalization in Southern Africa. The point of departure is the study of 'new regionalism', which refers to the wave of regional integration globally since the 1980s. However, whilst the current regionalism studies undoubtedly contributes to a deeper understanding of regional processes, important gaps remain, in particular the relatively scant emphasis given to civil society. This particularly relates to regions in the global South, including Southern Africa. The overarching aim of this book is therefore to analyse the dynamics of civil society regionalization in Southern Africa, both empirically and from a theoretical perspective, through analysing the cases of trade and HIV/AIDS. The study finds that CSOs can be more active in regional governance than has previously been conceptualized and are also highly active in terms of constructing regionalization through framing issues and, to a less extent, making identities 'regional'. Furthermore, the book enhances knowledge of the heterogeneous nature of civil society regionalization. Lastly, it is demonstrated that 'going regional' is only partly an autonomous process and also has to be understood as under the influence of the deeper statist and capitalist social structures marking the regional order in Southern Africa.




Arms Control Policy


Book Description

In this work, an expert on biological weapons offers a thoughtful examination of the political and technical issues that have affected the implementation of arms control agreements from the 1960s to the present. Arms Control Policy: A Guide to the Issues examines the history of the major arms control treaties since the early 1960s. It offers readers a broad understanding of the ways in which arms control agreements were negotiated and implemented during the Cold War, the international and national events that affected treaty negotiation and implementation, and how the arms control landscape has changed in the war's aftermath. Specifically, the handbook overviews the obligations contained in bilateral U.S.-Soviet/Russian and multilateral arms control agreements covering nuclear and nonnuclear weapons. It also treats such agreements as the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Treaty to Ban Land Mines, and the Treaty to Ban Cluster Munitions. The book concludes with a look at the current challenges in the implementation of arms control agreements and the future of arms control.




Civil Society in the Information Age


Book Description

This title was first published in 2002.In this age of globalization, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society movements and coalitions have become vastly more diverse and influential. This informed text explores the crucial role that efficient, skilful use of information and communications technology and news media has played in increasing the influence and enhancing the work of civil society organizations. Rich in case study material, it examines NGOs and other civil society organizations in the policy fields of development, security, international law, human rights and humanitarian action. In addition, the book examines the relationship between civil society and intergovernmental institutions such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the G7/G8. Scholars, analysts and practitioners in fields ranging from politics and economics through international law and information studies will find this book indispensable.




Do International Corruption Metrics Matter?


Book Description

Corruption, often seen as the main hindrance to development and growth in many societies, has led to greater demand for accountability and transparency in how governments conduct their businesses. This text examines the impact of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index and whether or not the CPI and hence TI matter. It explores three areas: the world’s political and economic responses and Jamaica’s policy responses to the CPI. Jamaica is selected for a case study due to its high CPI rating from TI; Jamaica is a country that has strong anti-corruption laws but, nonetheless, sees its CPI ranking worsen almost yearly. Taking into consideration the importance scholars and policymakers give to corruption’s effect on development, the findings show that the CPI—the most cited corruption index—does not change the behavior of world’s political and economic policymakers. Although the index is published yearly, there is no measured change as it regards political and economic policymakers. Nonetheless, Jamaican policymakers pay significant attention to their performance on TI’s CPI. Transparency International’s CPI is used as the authoritative tool to assess countries’ corruption perceptions scores by both international governments and several international agencies. The use and reference of TI’s CPI does not translate as the main factor in regards to the increase and or decrease of aid flow. Surprisingly, there was no evidence that the CPI affected the credit rating and or investment flow into Jamaica. It did indicate, however, that TI’s CPI is reflective of the global market perceptions of Jamaica’s economy. Research shows that the index does change policy responses in Jamaica as government officials across varying agencies pay attention to the index and the progression and or worsening of the country’s score.