'Informative and useful.'Development and ChangeUntil recently, most civil society organizations (CSOs) operated at national or local levels. However, new global organizations and networks are increasingly emerging. This book examines what CSOs can achieve, and the barriers they face, when they break national boundaries and sectoral moulds and work with others in global networks. A series of case studies of CSO initiatives reveal how transnational action can yield impressive results in changing policies and public attitudes. The diverse range of CSOs studied includes consumer groups, trade unions, the anti-globalization protest movement, the World Social Forum, Jubilee 2000 and others. All reveal a remarkably similar array of practical challenges, from structure and leadership issues to governance dilemmas. The book offers practical guidance to those engaged with CSOs and contributes to academic enquiry about civil society.

Preface * Introduction: Civil Society and Transnational Action * Consumers Unite Internationally * Trade Unions in a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities of Transnationalization * Campaign to Increase Access to HIV/ARIDS Drugs * Jubilee 2000: Laying the Foundations for a Social Movement * The Age of Protest: Internet-Based 'Dot Causes' and the 'Anti-Globalization' Movement * World Social forum: Making Another world Possible? Campaign for a 'Robin Hood Tax' for Foreign Exchange Markets * Conclusions: Globalizing Civic Engagement * References and Interviews * Index