Civil Society in the Global South

Civil Society in the Global South
Author: Palash Kamruzzaman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 381
Release: 2018-12-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1351625438

In recent years civil society has been seen as a key route for democracy promotion and solving development ‘problems’ in low-income countries. However, the very concept of civil society is deeply rooted in European traditions and values. In pursuing civil society reform in non-Western countries, many scholars along with well-meaning international agencies and donor organisations fail to account for non-Western values and historical experiences. Civil Society in the Global South seeks to redress this balance by offering diverse accounts of civil society from the global South, authored by scholars and researchers who are reflecting on their observations of civil society in their own countries. The countries studied in the volume range from across Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East to give a rich account of how countries from the global south conceptualise and construct civil society. The book demonstrates how local conditions are often unsuited to the ideal type of civil society as delineated in Western values, for instance in cases where numerous political, racial and ethnic sub-groups are ‘fighting’ for autonomy. By disentangling local contexts of countries from across the global South, this book demonstrates that it is important to view civil society through the lens of local conditions, rather than viewing it as something that needs to be ‘discovered’ or ‘manufactured’ in non-Western societies. Civil Society in the Global South will be particularly useful to high-level students and scholars within development studies, sociology, anthropology, social policy, politics, international relations and human geography.

Global Civil Society 2007/8

Global Civil Society 2007/8
Author: Professor Martin Albrow
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2007-11-21
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1849204101

The annual Global Civil Society Yearbooks provide an indispensable guide to global civil society or civic participation and action around the world. The 2007/8 Yearbook focuses on the potentially powerful relationship between communication and democracy promotion. The Global Civil Society Yearbook remains the standard work on all aspects of contemporary global civil society for activists, practitioners, students and academics alike.

High-Value Natural Resources and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding

High-Value Natural Resources and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding
Author: Päivi Lujala
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 624
Release: 2012-03-29
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1136536698

For most post-conflict countries, the transition to peace is daunting. In countries with high-value natural resources – including oil, gas, diamonds, other minerals, and timber –the stakes are unusually high and peacebuilding is especially challenging. Resource-rich post-conflict countries face both unique problems and opportunities. They enter peacebuilding with an advantage that distinguishes them from other war-torn societies: access to natural resources that can yield substantial revenues for alleviating poverty, compensating victims, creating jobs, and rebuilding the country and the economy. Evidence shows, however, that this opportunity is often wasted. Resource-rich countries do not have a better record in sustaining peace. In fact, resource-related conflicts are more likely to relapse. Focusing on the relationship between high-value natural resources and peacebuilding in post-conflict settings, this book identifies opportunities and strategies for converting resource revenues to a peaceful future. Its thirty chapters draw on the experiences of forty-one researchers and practitioners – as well as the broader literature – and cover a range of key issues, including resource extraction, revenue sharing and allocation, and institution building. The book provides a concise theoretical and practical framework that policy makers, researchers, practitioners, and students can use to understand and address the complex interplay between the management of high-value resources and peace. High-Value Natural Resources and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding is part of a global initiative led by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the University of Tokyo, and McGill University to identify and analyze lessons in natural resource management and post-conflict peacebuilding. The project has generated six edited books of case studies and analyses, with contributions from practitioners, policy makers, and researchers. Other books in the series address land; water; livelihoods; assessing and restoring natural resources; and governance.

IFDA Dossier

IFDA Dossier
Author: International Foundation for Development Alternatives
Publisher:
Total Pages: 568
Release: 1986
Genre: Developing countries
ISBN:

International Development Policy: Energy and Development

International Development Policy: Energy and Development
Author: Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 237
Release: 2011-06-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0230314015

Co-published with The Graduate Institute, this book examines how energy issues have intensified with modern development, how they shape geopolitics and access to energy in Africa, and how inconsistent energy governance really is. It discusses energy policy options in developing and emerging countries and questions the role of development aid.

Building Global Democracy?

Building Global Democracy?
Author: Jan Aart Scholte
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2011-04-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1139498029

The scale, effectiveness and legitimacy of global governance lag far behind the world's needs. This path-breaking book examines how far civil society involvement provides an answer to these problems. Does civil society make global governance more democratic? Have citizen action groups raised the accountability of global bodies that deal with challenges such as climate change, financial crises, conflict, disease and inequality? What circumstances have promoted (or blocked) civil society efforts to make global governance institutions more democratically accountable? What could improve these outcomes in the future? The authors base their argument on studies of thirteen global institutions, including the UN, G8, WTO, ICANN and IMF. Specialists from around the world critically assess what has and has not worked in efforts to make global bodies answer to publics as well as states. Combining intellectual depth and political relevance, Building Global Democracy? will appeal to students, researchers, activists and policymakers.

Conflict and Development

Conflict and Development
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: International Development Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2006-10-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0215030885

Conflict and Development : Peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction, sixth report of session 2005-06, Vol. 2: Oral and written Evidence

Corporate Social Responsibility in Sub-Saharan Africa

Corporate Social Responsibility in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Stephen Vertigans
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2015-12-21
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3319266683

This book provides a comprehensive overview of corporate social responsibility and its development in Africa. It provides in-depth studies on 11 sub-Saharan countries, demonstrating that corporate social responsibility is forming and going through different stages of metamorphosis in the continent. Though corporate and individual attitudes towards sustainability in Africa still leave a lot to be desired, this book showcases how things are rapidly changing for the better in this regard. It demonstrates and provides evidence for the fact that corporate social responsibility contributes significantly to the way sub-Saharan African economies are being transformed, with service sectors expanding, commercial activities diversifying and industrial bases growing through the initiatives of small, medium and large organizations and innovators supported by widespread higher-education program rollouts. The book highlights how progressive and wide-ranging CSR approaches have emerged, and how much they differ from the obsolete approaches of the past, which promulgated negative stereotypes, marginalized communities and positioned them as victims or beneficiaries of development.