Global civil society – a Western INGO phenomenon or a force instigating new direction

to globalisation?

Part I: An Agency-centred

Account of Globalisation

What is globalisation?

Four aspects/definitions (Scholte, 2000) Globalisation as westernisation or modernisation: the social structures of modernity (capitalism, rationalism, bureaucratism, etc.) are spread the world over, normally destroying pre-existent cultures and local self-determination

Globalisation as liberalisation: Removing government-imposed restrictions in order to create an open, borderless world economy Globalisation as universalisation: Spreading various objects and experiences to people at all corners of the earth. Internet, Sushi, Baywatch, human rights Globalisation as deterritorialisation: reconfiguration of geography, so that social space is no longer wholly mapped in terms of territorial places, territorial distances and territorial borders

Globalisation of what?

•Economy

•Technology

•Politics

•Culture

•Law

•People

•…

Early debates on globalisation:

•Globalisation isn’t happening: We’ve seen all this before, not so revolutionary, states still in charge (Hirst and Thompson, 1996)

•Globalisation is good for you: Global trade benefits all, global norms defeat local bullies, global contacts breed nice people (The Economist)

•Globalisation is bad for you: Globalisation increases inequalities, destroys local cultures, destroys the environment, undermines democratic accountability (Hines, 2000)

What kind of globalisation are we talking about?

What kind do we want?

Globalisation of:

Supporters Rejecters Reformers Regressives

Economy Yes: As part of economic liberalism

No: Greater protection of national economies

Mixed: If leading to greater social equality

Mixed: If beneficial to own country or group.

Technology Yes: Open competition for techno-logical innovation

No: Threatens local com-munities

Mixed: If beneficial to the marginalised

Mixed. Yes for economic & security, No for environment or social purposes

Law Yes: Commercial law and human rights

No: Undermines national sovereignty

Yes: Building global rule of law

No: National laws on property rights, terrorism

People Yes: Open border policy

No: Undermines national cohesion

Yes: Open border policy

Mixed. Yes: ‘useful’ immigrants, No: asylum seekers and people of other cultures

Why did it happen?

Standard explanations:

•New technology enabled global communications, global financial flows, cheap transport

•Iron curtain came down, allowed global cooperation and global trade

•IMF and World Bank conditionalities together with transnational corporations crack Third World states

S

M

CS

F

S

F

CS

M

Civil Society, The State and the Market: ca. 1890s-1970s

International treaties or war

State 1 State 2

Deeper causes of globalisation: 1960-70s peak of nation state – two reactions: • • - New Social Movements, from 1968, incl. Peace, Human Rights, Women, Environment

• - Neo-liberalism, 1980s, Chicago School advocates retreat of state. Thatcherism, Reaganism, IMF/World Bank

S

M

CS

F/I

S

F/I

CS

M

Global governance

Global civil society

Migration/

New Identities

Global economyState 1 State 2

Civil Society, The State and the Market: 1990s-

Nelson

Mandela

Rigoberta

Menchu

Aun

San

Suu

Kyi

Vaclav

Havel

Transnational advocacy networks:

•Promote causes, principled ideas and norms that cannot be reduced to self-interest

•May include NGOs, local social movements, foundations, media, churches, trade unions, consumer organisations, intellectuals, parts of IGOs, civil servants, politicians

•Work through information politics, symbolic politics, leverage politics, accountability politics

(Keck and Sikkink, 1998)

The boomerang pattern (Keck and Sikkink)

State A

State BIGO

XXXXXXXXXXX

Blockage

NGONGO

NGO

NGO

Information

Pressure

Pressure

Pressure

Global civil society?

“Even though the implications of our findings are much broader than most political scientists would admit, the

findings themselves do not yet support the strong claims about an emerging global

civil society”

Keck and Sikkink, 1998, 33.

A descriptive definition:

“Global civil society is the sphere of ideas, institutions, organisations, networks and

individuals located between the family, the state and the market, and operating beyond the confines of national societies, polities

and economies.”

Anheier, Glasius and Kaldor (2001, 17.)

What does that mean?

• It is not just civil society organisations, individuals, networks working at the global level

• But rather, the whole of organisations,individuals, networks with transnational elements in their line of work, partners and networks, or ideology

• But they are not a homogeneous bunch!

The normative connotations of civil society:

• Trust, social capital

• Active citizens in public affairs

• Non-violent and resisting violence

• Fostering public debate

• Counter-hegemonic: challenging the powerful; championing the marginalised

Global civil society has yet more normative connotations:

•Being part of a global imagined community, a sense of connection

•Belief in human rights, global social justice rather than just civil rights, justice for own citizens

•Belief in global and shared responsibility for the environment, ‘One World’ solutions, ‘global governance’

• Challenging the winners, championing the losers, of globalisation

NGOs

Global civil society

Civil

Society

NGOs

Descriptive concept Normative concept

NGOs and global civil society:

Or even (!):GCS

GCS

NGOs NGOs

First international conference of the Anti-Slavery Society, 1840

Part II: The Political Economy of INGOs

                                                                          

•

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Students for West Papua, Dublin

Before Globalisation:

S

M

controls

CS

S

M

controls

CS

Country 1 Country 2

S SMarket

Civil society

Retreat of the State. A combination of globalisation, privatisation, NGO-isation.:

Country 1 Country 2

Control?

Some Figures:

Number of INGOs

1981 1991 2001

9,789 17,826 24,797

Anheier and Themudo,

2002, 195.

Revenues of Relief and Development INGOs $ bln

1980 1988 1999

Public 1.6 2.4 1.7

Private 3.6 4.5 10.7

Total 5.2 6.9 12.4

Clark, 2003, 130.

NGOs with UN consultative status

1945 1965 1985 2005

0 361 760 2,595

Glasius, Kaldor and Anheier, 2005, Record 17, 421.

Globalisation has changed the organisational environment for NGOs. New Opportunities:

• Retreat of states and decline of party politics

• Expanded private and institutional donations

• Major reductions in communication costs

• More democracy, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly

Lindenberg and Bryant, 2001, 9;

Anheier and Themudo, 2002, 198.

New problems:

External:

•More complex and diverse cultural, political and economic environment

•Relations with diverse constituencies and stake-holders

•Managing different legal and fiscal systems

•Complex international funding environment

Internal:

• Transnational governance structure must be clear on responsibilities, line management and enforcement

•Need to develop a common mission and language within the organisation

• Structure that remains accountable to dispersed membership and reflects diversity

Different Solutions

Member consultation:

• One vote per member (Amnesty)

• One vote per country (FOEI)

Headquarters:

• Move to South (Civicus, ActionAid)

• Split HQ (World Rainforest Movement)

• Ring structure (Panos)

Boards

• More Southern and female (ActionAid)

• Regional sub-boards (HRW)

Forms of organisation

• Unitary organisation (HRW)

• Partnerships (Christian Aid)

• Federations (IFRC)

• Confederations (Oxfam Int)

• Networks (YES!)

1990s move from service-delivery to advocacy:

Macro-explanations:

• Political party activism declines, decision-making power seeps away from national level

• development encounters international politics

Micro-explanations:

• NGO staff increasingly frustrated by lack of macro-impact of their work on development

• Northern NGOs need new role: capacity-building and advocacy

‘advocate: an intercessor or defender: one who pleads the cause of another’

‘advocacy: the function of an advocate; a pleading for’

Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary ‘advocates plead the cause of others or defend a cause or proposition’Keck and Sikkink, 1998, 8.

What can be the basis for NGO advocacy?

- representation          

- moral conviction (values)

         - experience/expertise

Representation: speaking for

Problems:

• constituency

• procedure

• time

• money

Some solutions:

- transparency about procedures or lack thereof

- networks

-accompaniment

Deeper problem: What does it mean to ‘represent’? To speak ‘on behalf of?