FNTG White Paper on Responses to the Global Economic Crisis 2010

Contents

PREFACE

I. INTRODUCTION

II. CASE STUDIES

Case Study #1: Bank Accountability

Case Study #2: Financial Speculation Taxes

Case Study #3: Commodities Speculation

Case Study #4: International Financial Institutions

Case Study #5: Building Grassroots Alternatives

III. FUNDING NEEDS

IV. FOR FURTHER READING

NOVEMBER 2010

Civil Society Responses

to the Global Financial and Economic Crisis

FNTG White Paper

Download Full Printable Version Here

Preface

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to share with you this white paper outlining organizing, education and advocacy efforts being undertaken in response to the financial and economic crisis by groups working in coalition in the US and around the world.

During the early phases of the current crisis some three-dozen funders met in Washington, DC to discuss ways to support those working for "real reform of the global economy, and for greater transparency, accountability, and equity in the financial system."

For a variety of reasons (including diminished resources due to the crisis itself, and perhaps to the election of a charismatic president who seemed ready to confront many of the structural inequities of the finance sector), a deep and unified civil society response to the crisis in the United States never really emerged.

As this paper makes clear however, a great deal of important and exciting work has indeed been undertaken on a variety of fronts, internationally as well as in the U.S. Case studies presented here outline far-reaching initiatives around bank accountability, financial taxes, commodities speculation and international finance institutions, along with a particularly noteworthy project to build an alliance among key movements emerging out of the grassroots organizing sector. This paper shows what groups are fighting for in each of these areas, strategic approaches used, and concrete results achieved to date.

These efforts, along with others that couldn't be included here, continue - and continue to need foundation support.

Sarah Anderson, Director of the Institute for Policy Studies' Global Economy Program is the primary author of this paper. Although all of the decisions about which organizations, issues and links to include were made by FNTG, this work would not have been possible without Sarah's knowledge and deep understanding of the issues, the campaigns and the key actors involved.

As an alliance of domestic and international funders who recognize the systemic nature of today's challenges, we understand that our collective work plays out in a global context, one in which international developments and policies impact grantmaking at all levels. We also recognize that most authentic organizing starts locally.

FNTG has long been committed to working in partnership with coalitions and alliances that bring together local, national and international community-based organizations, policy-focused NGOs, social movements and others, and to increasing funding for the transformational changes needed to overcome the economic, social and ecological crises that confront us.

We hope that this paper helps to further that goal.

Laine Romero-Alston, Program Officer, The Solidago Foundation
Mark Randazzo, Coordinator, FNTG

Photo courtesy of Sarah Anderson.

FNTG Steering Committee

Alta Starr, Program Officer, Ford Foundation * Imad Sabi, Program Officer, Oxfam NOVIB * Jeff Furman, Trustee, Ben & Jerry's Foundation * Laura Livoti, Senior Program Officer, FACT, Inc. * Millie Buchanan, Program Officer, Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation * Nikhil Aziz, Executive Director, Grassroots International * Peter Riggs, Program Officer, Ford Foundation * Sarah Christiansen, Program Officer, The Solidago Foundation * Tom Kruse, Program Officer, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
 
Staff Contact Information

Mark Randazzo, Coordinator, 415-577-1177, mark [at] fntg [dot] org

Melissa Cariño, Program Associate, 617-233-3095, melissa [at] fntg [dot] org

Learn more about The Funders Network on Transforming the Global Economy (FNTG)

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