global civil society.docx

7/29/2019 Global Civil Society.docx

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POLSC 188 | Prof. Mendoza March 27, 2013

de Leon, Karla

Mendoza, James

Padua, Heather

GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY: DEMOCRATIZING GLOBALIZATION

Global civil society is seen as the backlash to both

globalization and economic liberalization as it surmounts

to challenge neoliberal globalization and neoliberal

capitalist hegemony (Evans, 2008)

Failures of neoliberalism (See WashingtonConsensus, on-going economic crisis,

transnational crimes)

Primacy of corporatism failedtransnational social movements emerged and

gained salience

The spread of multinational corporations and the

increasing concentration of capital have created the

conditions that can turn globalization on its head.

(Lerner, 2007)

Counter-hegemonic globalization a globally organized

project of transformation to replace the hegemon or the

dominant global regime

maximizing democratic political control and making

development of human capacities equitable and

environmental stewardship its priority

Double movement two-pronged movement that

shaped the development of market societies (Karl Polanyi)

1. laissez faire the efforts by a variety of groups toexpand the scope and influence of self-regulating

markets.

2. movement of protection the initiatives, again bya wide range of social actors, to insulate the fabric

of social life from the destructive impact ofmarket pressures.

Civil Society comprises the private domain which exists in

the space between

(a) the state

(b) the economy

Elements of Civil Society (Van Rooy, 2004):

1. Locationseparation from state and marketPolitical community (Aristotle)

societas civilis(Roman Cicero)

Civil Society (Enlightenment 18th century

debate on capitalism (19th century), Gramsci an

the early Marxist (early 20th

century), Iron Curta

and the third wave of democratization (late 20

century)

all refer to the state and later th

market, but the end of 20th century, civil society

seen as a place, or a constellation of acto

occupying that space, that is distinct from th

thing called the state, and this thing called th

market

2. Organizationa specific, organizational identityCivil society and NGOs

civil society hints at political relationships, wid

swaths of social organization, and battles over th

hearts and minds of citizens

nongovernmental organization is a far mor

pedestrian phrase

3. Inspiration altruism/moral highground-ethical inspirations to better humankind

Rebirth of civil society after cut backs for protection lik

trade unions and social democratic forces.

Businesses recommended governments to attac

power of trade unions and reduce state expenses o

social welfare.

World Systems Approach

a more sophisticated variant of dependency theoryfocuses on the transnational nature of capital an

labor flows and its implications for economic an

political process on two levels: societal an

reproduction of global inequalities

Posits the existence of a hierarchical interstate systeof unequal states and markets, with a hegemon (th

dominant power, economically, politically, an

militarily) and economic zones of core, periphery, an

semi-periphery. (Moghadam, 2009)

Occupy Movement

Occupy Wall Streetis a leaderless resistance movemen

with people of manycolors, genders and politic

persuasions. The one thing we all have in common

thatWe Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate th

greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using th
http://pococcupywallstreet.tumblr.com/http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/http://pococcupywallstreet.tumblr.com/


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revolutionaryArab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and

encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety

of all participants.

a series of worldwide protests which started in 17September 2011, Zuccotti Park, New York (Manhattan

Financial District)

a response to economic hardships that cut across allincome and education levels, a call for World

Revolution

decries the concentration of wealth to the top 1% ofAmericans

Globalization what about it?

Economic globalization, including increases in trade,

foreign investment, and migration, is widely agreed to beoccurring through a combination of improvements in

technology and decreased transportation costs, as well as

deliberate policy choices on behalf of many national

governments to liberalize their economies and participate

in the development of global institutions. Thus, the policy

aspect of economic globalization is a cumulative outcome

that results from the choices of many individual countries

to increase their integration with the global economy

(Aisbett, 2003).

Globalization is the latest stage of capitalism, and that its

features have given rise to transnational movements of

protest and resistance. Collective action is organized at

local, national, and transnational levels in fluid and

flexible ways; it is directed at states, corporations, and

institutions of global governance; and it calls for

alternative values, institutions, and relations (Mohagdam,

2009).

Proponents of economic globalization have had a

tendency to conclude that dissent and criticism are the

result of ignorance or vested interest (Bardhan 2003).

To its fiercest critics, globalization, the march of

international capitalism, is a force for oppression,

exploitation and injustice.

Negative Implications of Globalization

Social and Economic Polarization

Critics consider that globalization has brought th

cultural role into question because it denies an authent

cultural identity. In view of this, global homogenizatio

should mean complete domination of the wester

understanding of art and culture and the standardizatio

of values, wishes, ideas, styles and beliefs. But this is no

the case. One could say that there is total cultural chao

rather than order, with creolization being an indicator o

this type of condition. Cultural differences survive, bu

due to expansion they become familiar to us, so today w

do not perceive them as something unknown.

The widening gap between the North and th

South at international level, and between haves and hav

nots at national level is another serous aspect o

globalization. In fact, the real test to globalization

through its success in reducing the gap between the ric

and the poor at local, national and global level

Globalization has forced many countries in various part

of this world to regulate to a lower league the mo

fundamental needs of their peoples (Muzaffar, 199

183). The equitable distribution of food, adequate healt

care facilities, and the quality of education are no longe

priority concerns the political agendas of th

governments in these countries.

Political Instability

The role of government in this process is reduce

to the mere acceptance of what political globalizatio

imposes. In the globalized world of politics there is n

more room for mimesis (imitation), everything is impose

The states economic role is being reduced to ensurin

optimal conditions in their economic-legal-politic

systems for the activities of TNCs.

Multinational corporations are main instrument

of globalization. They possess huge capitals and assets. A

profit maximizers, they establish their factors in man

developing countries where cheap workers and ra

materials are found. Because of their size and the

contributions to national economies in terms of taxes an

employments, they influence decision-making processe

in those countries. Once they established, none has th
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ability to stop them from withdrawing their investments

or moving their capitals from country to another

whenever it is in their advantage to do so. In spite of their

contributions, the given privileges are not without price.

Their activities usually leave serious effects on many host

economies; they even sometime create civil unrests. This

is because these companies control not only markets, but

also peoples (Wooldridge and Micklethwait, 2000).

Economic instability and persistent unemployment

Globalization has significant impact on local

entities. Its complexity takes decisive dimensions in

particular with regard to its effects on labor immigration

from the South to the North. In many cases this problem

not only has political reflections, but also social

dimensions. Case in point: Pinochets Chile

Erosion of trust in political and economic

institutions

Whether by active design or by the inherent

nature of the process, large corporations often appear to

be the biggest gainers from globalization. Dissatisfaction

with this pattern has led many critics to label the current

course of globalization as 'corporate globalization'. It is

important to note that for many people, benefits to large

corporations enter their personal utility functions

negatively. This may be partially attributable to envy, butthere is also evidence of two more logically motivated

reasons. Firstly, there is the assumption that if

corporations benefit, someone else must be loosing, or at

least gaining less than they deserve. Secondly, there is a

perceived link between increasing wealth and increasing

power. Many people consider corporations to be already

too powerful, they do not like or trust large corporations,

and they feel very uncomfortable with the fact that many

corporations are richer and more powerful than the

governments of the countries in which they are operating.Thus even a change that increases personal income may

be considered welfare decreasing if a large corporation

benefits disproportionately more.

Globalization and Civil Society

Another apparent outcome of globalization and a

challenge to conventional theories of social movements

was the rise in the late 1990s of what have been variously

called transnational advocacy networks, transnation

social movements, and global social movements.

There is now some consensus among scholars that th

response to global economic, political, and cultur

developments has taken the form of transnation

collective action, including the emergence

transnational social movements and advocacy networkthat focus on human rights, the environment, an

economic justice.

A transnational social movement has come to b

understood as a mass mobilization uniting people in thre

or more countries, engaged in sustained contentiou

interactions with political elites, internation

organizations, or multinational corporations.

The Crisis of Global Governance and a Compromis

Solution

Legitimacy of their targets existence as globplayers

Focuses on the democratic deficit orepresentative failure of these institutions, eithe

in their own governance, or in the cumulativ

failures of their member governments o

shareholders

Through democracy, members of a given public tak

decisions that shape their destiny jointly, with equal righ

and opportunities of participation and without arbitrari

imposed constraints on debate. In one way or anothe

democratic governance is participatory, consultative

transparent and publicly accountable. By one mechanis

or another, democratic governance rests on the consen

of the governed (Scholte 2001:6)

Yet even in smallest democratic units, there aralways impediments to such participation an

obstacles to the subsequent accountability o

governors

Globally, the problems (1) inadequat

participation and (2) accountability, ar

multiplied a billion-fold: in the moder

world, it is increasingly difficult for th

citizen to be engaged meaningfully

global decisions


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Scholte offers a few examples of the inability of citizens to

have much say in what goes on globally (Scholte 2001: 12-

14):

Lack of control Lack consultation Lack of global representation Lack of central oversight

Alternative Theories and Proposals

Improved democratic practice at the internationallevel

The Theories

There are several schools of thought long percolating in

the academic world that focus on global governance.

These include: statism/realism, liberal internationalism,

cosmopolitan democracy, world polity and theories of

radical communitarianism.

Depending on their notions of global legitimacy and the

current state of international affairs, such thinking has

generated a variety of proposals for action.

Main focus: Cosmopolitan Democracy

Focus from the state to the individual Identifies the individual as the holder of key rights Such consent implies that the individual, not only

the states, would have a right to examine the

workings of global governance institutions and

demand accountability from them

As Lori Wallach describes such a new world would be

different in this way:

There would be a global regime of rules that more than

anything create the political space for the kinds of value

decisions that mechanisms like the WTO now make, at a

level where people living with the results can hold the

decision makers accountable. Right now, there are

decisions, value-subjective decisions, being shifted into

totally unaccountable, international realms where, if the

decision is wrong, there is no way to fix it. If the decision

makers are self-interested, and as a result themselves

need to be changed, theres no way to change them

(Naim 2000: 34)

This philosophical approach follows contractheorist (Rawls) which follows Rousseau and Kan

which imagines idealized social contract amon

the peoples of the world.

Habermas notion of deliberative democrac(whereby an individual is deeply involved

decision-making, ad is not merely a filler-of-ballo

boxes) would also find a home in this approach

Cosmopolitans very much unlike statist thinkerwelcome the erosion of the state so

prerogative over sovereignty and wou

encourage the participation of local, regional an

other levels of government in the picture, as we

as the involvement of CSOs.

As Held explains: A cosmopolitan democracwould not call for a diminution per se of stat

power and capacity across the globe. Rather,

would seek to entrench a develop democrat

institutions at regional and global levels as

necessary complement to those at the level of th

nation-state (Held 1997: URL)

Global Civil Society

A global civil society is thus composed of thos

organizations that:

Address political issues that were largely ignoreby all the mainstream political parties at the time

growing popular concern could not therefore b

channeled through conventional political routes.

Address issues that are truly global and whicconcern large-scale disparities of power

Seeks three goals: (1) influence public policy, (reform institutions, (3) and change publ

attitudes

Pursue 2 strategies: mass campaigning and thuse of the mass media

Constitute global movements; usually seek tcreate international networks and deriv


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enhanced legitimacy from them, promote an

ethos of internationalism, and favor simultaneous

actions at the local, national, and international

levels (Clark 2001: 17-18)

4 Clumps of ideological responses to globalization:

Note: Goodman suggests that these ideological vantage

points shape the strategies taken up around the global

institutions

1. Rejectionist/ confrontationalist - the leftopposes global capitalism; both right and left

want to preserve national sovereignty

2. Supportive - favour of global capitalism and therule of law

3. Reformative largely NGOs from northerncountries with a cosmopolitan ideology that

identify themselves as global civil society seek

to make global institutions more responsive to

the poor; aim to civilise globalization

4. Alternative/ transnational resisters - describesas members of the new social movements carry

their local struggles across national borders; want

to opt out of globalization

Strands of todays globalization

Seattles situation in 1999 to create theheterogeneous, leaderless, multi-tactic and

ideological phenomenon now understood as

Global Civil Society

o Talking about rainforests led us intotalking about the 3rd world debt. Which

led to the issue of climate change then totransnational corporations

o The more you talk about these things themore you realize that the subject is not

on environment anymore but the

economy and the pressures the countries

are doing to undercut any efforts they

make to deal with environmental issues

These histories introduce the origins of thlegitimacy debates. The critiques and tactic

undertaken by members of the new movemen

have been unsettling for some, both within an

outside the movements and that made it uneas

situation triggered the legitimacy backlash

Anti-globalization protesters on World Banko A phase that entered the World Bank

long-standing and diverse relationsh

with civil society organizations

o Phase that World Bank managers hopethey had avoided

o Used to its usual grouping of NGOs, thBank had not counted on a ne

movement that brought new people.

References:

Abo Gazleh, Mohammad. (2001). Globalization and Politics: th

Effects of Globalization on Human Life Aspects. Internation

Conference on Malaysia and Globalization,Kuala Lumpur: University

Malaya.

Aisbett, E. (2003). Globalization, Poverty and Inequality: are th

criticisms vague, vested, or valid? Prepared for the NBER Pr

conference on Globalization, Poverty and Inequality .

Cox, R. (1999). "Civil society at the turn of the millenium." Review

International Studies 25: 3-28.

Evans, P. (2008). "Is an Alternative Globalization Possible?" Politics an

Society36 (2): 271-305.

Moghadam, Valentine. (2009). Globalization & Social Movement

Islamism, Femnism, and the Global Justice Movement. Lanham

Rowman & Littlefield.

van Rooy, Alison. (2004). The Global Legitimacy Game: Civil Societ

Globalization, and Protest. Palgrave Macmillan.

Unknown author. (2001). Globalisation and its critics. The Economis

retrieved March 20, 201

.

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