You’re not happy with globalization as is. But you’re encouraged when you read articles here and there that make you think things could be different.
Yet when you try to research the issues, you get really, really overwheled by the myriad orgs, publications, and govt. programs — all who seem to be working on similar issues, but all seemingly disconnected, with no synthesis or synergy despite the similar goals.
At least one new publication, Policy Innovations, is trying to change that.
“We’re trying to be the hub for what we sometimes call the “reinventing globalization community,” says Devin, editor of Policy Innovations. PI’s a part of the Carnegie Council’s Global Policy Innovations program, which “aims to enhance and inform public debate on the existence of positive development alternatives by creating a centralized hub” of info.
Basically, PI’s working to become an aggregator of knowledge furthering 2 goals: advancing social justice using globalization, and improving the fairness of globalization itself.
How? By aggregating info from 45 other orgs focused on similar goals, and filtering that info through a cutting edge search engine.
Devin says PI has a unique space and angle to offer: “The things we offer are what don’t make it into the mainstream press.” Pointing to the idea of globalization as freeness, Devin says, “freedom is good, but it also has to be fair and sustainable.” PI tries to encourage fairness and accessibility, while emphasizing accessibility and openness in information sharing toward this end.
In fact, a couple weekends ago, PI put together a conference called “Free Trade, Fair Trade, and Sustainable Trade: The Case of Resource Extraction,” which asked: “In assessing free, fair, and sustainable trade, is it possible to move toward a more moral form of trade?” And just last week, PI published an article about the Ethiopia vs. Starbucks trademark debate.
Poke around the PI site, and you’ll see articles from Oxfam, Mercado International, and many other forward-thinking organizations. And if you’re a forward-thinker yourself, you might wanna check out these writers’ guidelines :)

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