NYU Florence Lecturer Media, Activism & Democracy and Professor of Global Advocacy at Vrije University in Bruxelles. Department Director at the Institute of Competitiveness Read More ...
Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Law at HEC Paris and Global Professor of Law at NYU Law in Paris. Founder and CEO of The Good Lobby and author of Lobbying for Change: Find Your Voice to Cre Read More ...
According to a report recently published by Oxfam International, only 62 people in the world possess the wealth of the poorest half of the world’s population. Women and minorities remain largely underrepresented or disadvantaged compared to men and racial/cultural elites. From politics to education, business, health and culture, almost everywhere in the world there are gender or racial gaps. Further, organized interests monopolize lobbying. On average, out of the 100 organizations that spend the most on lobbying in developed countries, 95 represent business. The result is worrying. According to Martin Gilens of Princeton University, the opinions of the bottom 90% of income earners in America have a “statistically non-significant impact” on policy-making. Yet, connections among civil society actors located all over the worlds are experiencing historically unprecedented quantities, scopes, frequencies, velocities, intensities and impacts. From the “virtual web” of citizens that tie together to support a cause through an online-petitioning platform, passing through alliances of universities, foundations and think-tanks, up to more formalized coalitions of non-State actors operating in remote locations of the planet, an associative spirit seems to put the basis for cooperation that, albeit apparently, may offset the much debated decline in representative democracy. New York University Florence organizes a talk aimed at discussing the tactics and strategies used by civil society actors to shape policy-making; the influence of ‘social movements’ on global politics; the networking of NGOs and other civil society organizations at global level.
Program
6:00 pm Introduction Gianluca Sgueo, NYU Florence
6.05 Global Advocates: How Citizens are Shaping Global Policies Gianluca Sgueo, NYU FLorence Valeria Pizzini Gambetta, NYU Florence Debora Spini, NYU Florence Alberto Alemanno, HEC Paris Pam Bartlett Quintamilla, Green/EEFA Group, European Parliament Priscilla Robledo, Riparte il Futuro
