Transnational Institute writes:

Networked Politics:

Rethinking Political Organisation

Rethinking Political Organisation in an Age of Movements and Networks
A reader produced by TNI, Transform! Italia, IGOP and Euromovements
January 2007

Networked Politics is the product of a collaborative research process for rethinking political organisation in an age of movements and networks. In a world where the traditional institutions of democratic control have been weakened by an unconstrained global market and superpower military ambitions, it uncovers diverse forms of resistance with the potential to create new institutions for social change. The authors set out the principles upon which such transformations should be based, and the challenges that stand in the way of their realisation.

The discussion is then pursued along four interrelated lines of inquiry. These examine social movements, including their development of new forms of knowledge and organisation; progressive political parties, and attempts to bring about transformative forms of political respresentation; the dangers and opportunities facing the development of political institutions in a network society; and the potential of new techno-political tools for facilitating and reconceiving political organisation. A series of case studies are also offered, drawing critical lessons from the experience of the German Green Party; the 2006 French mobilisation against the controversial CPE employment law; and an extended discussion on 'open source as a metaphor for new institutions'.

Cover

Download the reader as a single file (7.29 MB) or by chapters (below).

Contents:

• Introduction
• Principles and Challenges
• Principles
• Challenges
• Lines of Inquiry
• networks / movements
• state / public institutions
• political representation / political parties
• techno-political tools
• Discussion: Open source as a metaphor for new institutions
• Conclusion: Lingering thoughts and unanswered questions
• Bibliographical resources

Contributors

Networked Politics presents 'work in progress' that was discussed at seminars in Barcelona, Manchester and Bologna by:

Ezequiel Adamovsky, Christophe Aguiton, David Beetham,
Franco Berardi (‘Bifo’), Marco Berlinguer, Quim Brugué,
Salvatore Buonamici, Angel Calle, Geraldo Campos, Dominique
Cardon, Luciana Castelina, Pedro Chavez, Branka Curcic, Alex
Foti, Jane Foot, Mayo Fuster i Morell, Gemma Galdon Clavell,
Ricard Gomà, Cornelia Hildebrandt, Brian Holmes, Jamie
King, Carolyn Leckie, Achour Boukkaz Mehdi,
Sandro Mezzadra, Moema Miranda, Alan McCombes, Javier
Navascués, Jaume Nualart, Lluc Pelàez, Inês Pereira, Sheila
Rowbotham, Joan Subirats, Marco Trotta, Iñaki Vazquez, Ricard
Vilaregut, Asbjorn Wahl, Hilary Wainwright, Frieder Otto Wolf

Editors: Hilary Wainwright, Oscar Reyes, Marco Berlinguer, Fiona Dove, Mayo Fuster I Morrell and Joan Subirats