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Class 13: Globalization and Governance 2 Sociology 2 Copyright © 2008 by Evan Schofer Do not copy or distribute without permission Announcements • Today’s class: • Global civil society & “social movements” • The global environmental movement (an example). Governance: Definitions • Treaty: An agreement among nations to follow certain rules • Ex: GATT: “General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade” – Set rules for global trade, prior to the WTO • Ex: Montreal Protocol on CFC emissions – An environmental treaty, in which countries agreed to ban the use of chemicals that damaged the Ozone layer. Governance: Definitions • IGO: Inter-governmental Organization: An organization whose members are governments – Again, purpose is usually to negotiate or enforce agreements among governments • Ex: The World Trade Organization (WTO) – Members created it as a forum to manage world trade • Ex: The World Bank – Governments created it to reduce poverty and encourage development via loans and projects • Ex: European Union – An supra-national government that coordinates (and in some cases has the power to set) economic & trade policies for member countries • Ex: UNEP: The United Nations Environment Program – Branch of the UN; urges nations to address environmental issues Key Players in Global Governance Civil Society • Issue: States and corporations are not the only players in global governance • Civil society: citizen activity in the public sphere that is not part of the state or business sector • Includes things like: Citizen participation in organizations, protest activities • Social movements: Sustained efforts by members of civil society to challenge existing governance and produce social change. Governance: Definitions • Some components of civil society: • NGO: Non-governmental Organization • A domestic association – Clean Water Action; The Nature Conservancy • Also sometimes called “non-profits” or “associations” • INGO: International non-governmental organization • An association that is international in membership and (typically) scope • Ex: Greenpeace, WWF Trends in Global Civil Society • Global civil society has been growing rapidly: International Associations 1880-1990 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 1880 1900 1920 1940 Year 1960 1980 Civil Society & Governance • How does civil society affect governance? • Read Wapner article on Greenpeace for additional info • 1. National civil society and social movements put pressure on states • Example: US environmental organizations put pressure on governments to address problems or participate in global treaties • 2. Global civil society and social movements can put pressure on states and intergovernmental organizations • Ex: Greenpeace can try to pressure countries around the world; and put pressure on the World Bank. Civil Society & Governance • How does civil society affect governance? • 3. As Keck and Sikkink point out: Globalization increases the opportunities of civil society • National civil society can gain assistance from other states or global civil society – Ex: Domestic human rights protestors are often unsuccessful by themselves due to repression • But, domestic protestors can increasingly appeal to the international community • Domestic protestors can get help from international NGOs (e.g., Amnesty International) or people in wealthy nations – Increasing their chances of success. Civil Society & Governance • Civil society strategies: • 1. Lobbying/fundraising to affect elections • 2. Education / creating awareness of problems • And, encouraging people to change behavior • 3. “Contentious politics” – direct challenge to state (or international) authority • Demonstrations; civil disobedience; even violent acts (e.g., destroying a plant genetics lab) • Issue: Social movements often use all of these strategies to generate change. Global Environmental Movement • The global environmental movement • International efforts to address environmental problems on a global scale… • Historical background: – Prior to 1950, there were few attempts to systematically address environmental problems – Starting in 1960s, rapid social change occurred: • Growth of a popular environmental movement in US and Europe • First major national laws to halt pollution. Global Environmental Movement • 1970s: Environmentalism goes global • 1972: First major international conference addressing environmental issues • Big growth in INGOs, treaties, IGOs – By 1990s • Large numbers of environmental NGOs and INGOs – National and global civil society… • Many international treaties & IGOs – Increased global governance – International movements and governance linked to changes in government policies • Nearly all countries have environmental protection laws, addressing air, water, etc. Trends in Environmental Protection Source: Frank et al. 2000 The Global Environmental Movement • Question: Why has the global environmental movement been (somewhat) successful? • Most common explanation: • Environmental problems (pollution, disasters) got so bad that people got angry, frustrated… • Therefore people banded together around common concerns, began to fight for social change • In short, social problems (or “grievances”) generate social movements. The Global Environmental Movement • Grievance-based explanations of social movements are very appealing • And, are echoed by social movement participants, themselves • Sociologists are critical of such explanations • Classic work by Tilly; Macadam, McCarthy & Zald. – Historically, many important social problems and grievances have not produced effective movements • For instance: Poorest & most oppressed rarely revolt • Ex: Environmental protests are more likely in clean suburbs, rather than urban/industrial areas. The Global Environmental Movement • Environmental grievances have existed for centuries, without prompting a movement – Example: London “fog”, which killed people in the 19th century • Evidence shows that people knew coal was the cause… but they didn’t do anything about it – Example: Mass deforestation in Europe was celebrated, rather than treated as a problem. The Global Environmental Movement • What makes a social movement happen? • Scholars of the civil rights movement observed the following requirements: • 1. Resource mobilization – Social movements require resources: Money, people, organizational capacity • Example: Black churches in the American South • Example: Anti-globalization protestors in Commanding Heights video. They were skilled college students with free time and strong organizational capacity. The Global Environmental Movement • Environmentalism in US and Europe started among wealthy suburbanites – They were professionals, with lots of money, organizational capacity – Environmental movement was not started by those most directly affected by urban pollution, environmental health threats. The Global Environmental Movement • What makes a social movement happen? • 2. Political Opportunities – Success of social movement depends a lot on the political environment: – 1. Overall level of political repression • Example: Protest is rare in authoritarian countries – 2. Kind of party in power; Allies in high places • Example: Unions fared worse under Reagan, Thatcher. The Global Environmental Movement • The environmental movement emerged in the 1960s • The broader social change of the civil rights movement provided a political opportunity • The country (and government) was moving to the left, and there was a willingness to address new ideas and new social problems • More recently, the environmental movement fared better under Clinton than Bush. The Global Environmental Movement • What makes a social movement happen? • 3. Framing – “Framing” refers to strategic use of potent images and symbols (“cognitive frames”) to support a cause • Think of it as PR for social movements – Example: Pro-choice vs. Pro life – Example: Anti-globalization unions equate manufacturing job with American “way of life” • …Free Trade will turn us into a 3rd world country • Can you think of more examples? The Global Environmental Movement • Environmentalists have a long history of successful framing – Example: Animal rights movement effectively used images of baby seals being killed by clubs – Example: Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” – Also, they use cultural frames and arguments from science to press their cause • They borrow the “authority” of science. The Global Environmental Movement • In sum: global environmentalism has a history of: • Effective resource mobilization • Political opportunities • Successful framing • Result: Global environmentalists were relatively successful in US, Europe, and on a global scale • States enacted basic laws to protect air, water, consumers, etc • Treaties and IGOs were formed to protect endangered species, certain pollutants (e.g., CFCs). The Global Environmental Movement • Question #2: Does the global environmental movement matter? Does it improve the situation? • Answer: Yes and No. • In some cases, environmental destruction has been reversed due to citizen action & government reform: • Air pollution in many US cities • Water pollution of lakes and rivers • Some endangered species (e.g., elephants). The Environmental Movement • In some cases, environmental destruction is still getting worse, but not as fast as predicted (given growth of population, GDP) • Ex: CFC production (an ozone-depleting gas) • Ex: deforestation • Finally, some environmental problems just keep getting worse and worse • Ex: habitat destruction (ex: rainforests), overuse of antibiotics, etc. The Global Environmental Movement • In sum: There is no doubt that the global environmental movement has had some important successes • This is notable to sociologists, because many social movements fail utterly – Especially those that challenge the interests of capitalists – BUT: HUGE challenges remain… • The magnitude of the problem is staggering • In world of 6.6 billion people and over $40 trillion of yearly economic activity, there is a lot of degradation • Successes of environmental movement may ultimately prove insufficient.