Michael Edwards


Michael Edwards is Director, Governance and Civil Society, for the Ford Foundation in New York. Prior to joining the Foundation he was the Senior Civil Society Specialist at the World Bank in Washington DC, Head of Information and Research for Save the Children-UK, and Regional Representative for OXFAM-GB in Southern Africa. His latest book is Future Positive: International Cooperation in the 21st Century (Earthscan).




Papers Published in World Economics:


NGOs and International Economic Policy-Making

NGOs and other citizens’ groups are enjoying an unprecedented upsurge in their profile and influence in global debates over international economic policy. Public opinion polls show this to be a popular trend, but the outcome of greater civil society involvement depends on whose voices are actually represented in global debates, how competing interests are reconciled, and whether NGOs are effective in playing their roles in the international system. Unless the process of civil society engagement is properly managed, the result may be gridlock. This article outlines the strengths and weaknesses of NGO involvement and suggests a number of avenues for improvement in the future.

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