Routledge Global Justice Activism and Policy Reform in Europe: Understanding When Change Happens: 90 (Routledge Advances in Sociology)

Civil society activism around issues of global justice has proliferated in Europe during the past two decades. Has such contestation and advocacy made a difference? This book examines whether and how the organizations, networks and campaigns involved have attained their policy objectives in the areas of debt relief, international trade, international taxation and corporate accountability. The analysis also considers the relationship between national and transnational activism. By comparing variations in the "activism-policy nexus" in France, Italy and the United Kingdom, it seeks to understand how such interaction and policy outcomes vary in different institutional and political contexts. Review "Research on the effects of social movements is still rare. This volume is a valuable exception presenting fresh ideas and data on the conditions under which social movement campaigns succeed or fail in changing national policies in Europe." - Donatella della Porta, European University Institute, Fiesole "Anyone interested in whether, when and how activists can bring about fairer global policies should read this book. It departs from the common practice of focusing on a few successful cases, and instead offers a systematic survey of a range of important policy areas in several wealthy democracies. The result is a more nuanced and realistic assessment of both the potential and the limits of civil society involvement in global public policy making." - Mathias Koenig-Archibugi, London School of Economics and Political Science About the Author Peter Utting is Deputy Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). Mario Pianta is Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Urbino. He has been Fernand Braudel Fellow at the European University Institute and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and at the Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Anne Ellersiek is a visiting fellow at UNRISD. Anne obtained her Ph.D. from the Department of Organization Studies at Tilburg University, The Netherlands, and specializes in research on the design, management and governance of inter-organizational networks in international development and trans-national advocacy.