Theory and Practice of Civic Globalism

The International Roundtable on the Theory and Practice of Civic Globalism was held in Washington, DC from April 19 to 21, 2001. Sponsored by The Democracy Collaborative, the meeting brought together leaders from academia, international agencies, civil society organisations, and the corporate sector from 12 countries. The Roundtable aimed to create strategies for strengthening democracy worldwide.

Published in 2002, the report includes an executive summary and opening remarks, as well as details on the conference sessions. For instance, Session One: Measuring Global Civic Trends, explored the nature and purpose of civil society organisations worldwide. Papers in this section identify the degree to which these organisations are accepted and supported by their governments as critical to their success. Session Two: Technology and Global Civil Society, identified the degree to which certain segments of the world's population are unable to access the benefits of advances in telecommunications. Democracy might be impeded, these papers suggest, by the commercialisation of the media. Session Three: The Arts as the Unacknowledged Keystone of Civil Society, featured live dance, music, and theatre performances, commentary on the works performed, and a post-performance discussion on the importance of the arts to a democratic society. Papers in this section endorse the arts as a means to evoke the imagination, which the authors argue is key to fostering democracy. Session Four: Global Civil Society vs. Global Markets and Session Five: Global Civil Society and Global Governance both focused on the challenges posed by globalised markets and the difficulty of creating a meaningful international approach to governance and cooperation. These papers identify the asymmetry in globalisation and call for increased efforts to redress its detrimental effects on the poor.