Class 12: Globalization and Governance 2 Sociology 2 Copyright © 2010 by Evan Schofer Do not copy or distribute without permission

Announcements Today’s class: Background on readings for next week Readings for next week address theories of globalization Note: some of the readings are hard. They are written by academics and for academics. Do your best to grapple with them… Global civil society & “social movements” The global environmental movement (an example)

Upcoming Readings: Theories Issue: What is a “theory”? Little “t” theory: A specific claim: an argument that leads to empirical predictions Example: Economic law of “supply and demand” A theory… (“laws” are just theories that work well) Claim: prices reflect equilibrium of supply and demand We can “test” this theory with experiments… Big “T” Theory: Big ideas: A broad set of ideas and imageries about the social world “Big ideas” that guide researchers and help to generate specific (“little t”) theories Example: Marxist theory: not just a single prediction

Theories Marxism (“big T” Theory) combines: 1. Observations about the nature of capitalism e.g., exploitation of labor 2. Identification of important dynamics e.g., dialectics, historical shift from feudalism to capitalism 3. Development of new concepts e.g., Alienation, false consciousness 4. Complex predictions about the future e.g., capitalist revolution, socialism 5. Normative evaluations This broader kind of “theory” is useful because it generates a rich description of the world And produces many specific claims to be tested But, it isn’t easy to prove “right” or “wrong”.

Main Theories: The Economy General perspectives on the economy: Readings by Brawley, Sernau 1.Adam Smith: Markets as prosperity & progress “Liberalism”, “Neo-liberalism” 2. Karl Marx: Markets as a destructive force Cause of inequality and misery 3. Keynesianism: Markets as beneficial but unstable Markets need to be regulated to be stable Workers and vulnerable groups need protection Also discussed in Serneau reading: “Optimal hybrid?”

Main Theories: Sociology Covered in readings by Sernau, Drori 1. Modernization theory An optimistic view that societies will “develop” and become more prosperous 2. World System Theory (WST) Related view: “Dependency Theory”. I will lump them together, despite some differences Building on Marx: economic exploitation will perpetuate global inequality 3. World Polity Theory (WPT) Also called “Institutional” or “neo-institutional” theory Argues that international institutions and “global culture” are reshaping the world.

Main Theories: Political Science Covered by Brawley (and next week) 1. Realism Also called: Neo-realism, the “realist” view A theory emphasizing the importance of military (not economic) power… 2. Institutionalism / interdependence WARNING: World Polity Theory also called “institutionalism” Interdependence has lead to the creation of global institutions. Power isn’t the only thing that matters. 3. Constructivism A political science version of ‘World polity theory” Global norms and ideas influence countries…

Readings: Week 7 Serneau, Scott. “Class: A World of Rich and Poor.” Provides general background on global inequality Reviews broad theories of the economy Adam Smith & the economists (optimistic) Karl Marx (pessimist) Reviews two main sociology theories: Why are some nations rich and some poor? Modernization theory (optimistic) Dependency theory (pessimistic) Similar to “World-system theory”…

Readings: Week 7 Brawley, Mark R. 2003. “Theoretical Lenses for Viewing Globalization” A more challenging reading… Reviews perspectives on markets Adam Smit: Markets as a source of “progress” Keynesians: Markets as a source of instability Marx: Markets as a destructive force Reviews theories from political science Realism Institutionalism / Interdependence Constructivism.

Readings: Week 7 Drori, Gili. 2007. “Institutionalism and Globalization Studies.” Contrasts main views from sociology: Modernization Theory World System / Dependency Theory World Polity Theory / “Institutional” theory.

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:

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.