Transnational Institute

Transnational Institute

Abbreviation	TNI
Formation	1973 [1]
Type	Transnational alternative policy group, think tank
Focus	globalization, corporate power, social and ecological justice
Headquarters	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Product	critical research, policy analysis, proposals for alternatives, conferences, workshops
Director	Fiona Dove
Website	www.tni.org

The Transnational Institute (TNI) is a transnational alternative policy group and “network of scholar-activists”’ that produces critical research oriented towards the enhancement of democracy, social justice, ecological sustainability.^[2][3][4] It was established in 1973 in Amsterdam, originally as the international branch of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Policy Studies.^[2]

Activities and Programs

TNI's research seeks to challenge existing corporate priorities and state policies and advocates for an alternative globalization that is more sustainable, just and democratic.

It produces macro-level analyses and critiques of the current global order, focused on six key programs or issues:

1. The Alternative Regionalisms programme addresses the question of alternative development from the perspective of social movements and regional coalitions of civil society organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It facilitates cross-regional exchanges on a South-South and South-North basis through a series of Peoples’ Dialogues.

2. The Drugs and Democracy programme analyses global trends in drugs policy and promotes a pragmatic approach to tackling illegal drugs based on harm reduction principles. Its work on drugs and conflict in the Andean/Amazon region, Afghanistan and Burma forges connections between illicit drugs and wider issues of demilitarisation, democratisation, public health promotion and poverty reduction. These are then reflected in attempts to influence the policy debate at UN and regional decision-making levels.

3. The New Politics programme engages with innovations and experimentation by social movements, progressive political parties and governments worldwide. It stimulates new thinking and policy proposals on participatory democracy, political organisation, urban governance and rural democratisation.

4. The Environmental Justice project monitors the negative impact of pollution trading upon environmental, social and economic justice, and works to develop community-led responses to it.

5. The Militarism and Globalisation project analyses the changing global frameworks for military intervention and the spread of new security infrastructures. Its current focus includes work on defence industrial reorganisation and the accountability of foreign military bases.

6. The Water Justice project promotes participatory, public sector water as the most viable means to achieve the goal of water for all. It facilitates the creation of new regional and global networks to promote public-public co-operation in the water sector. TNI also publishes a Public Services yearbook on the impact of privatisation and experiences of public sector reform globally.

In addressing these issues and advancing an agenda of economic, social and environmental justice, TNI engages in dialogue with activist communities and social movement groups worldwide, as well as with progressive governments, seeking to empower civil society and bridge the gap between governments and local social actors.^[4]

Producing knowledge for different constituencies and audiences on wide range of policy issues, TNI’s practices are multifaceted and include:

• Carrying out original research and critical analysis;
• Building alliances and capacity with social movements (including via conferences, seminars and workshops);
• Developing and disseminating, policy analyses and proposals for alternatives.

Its basic strategies for promoting social change range from insider efforts (e.g., Drugs and Democracy; working to influence the European Commission on trade and investment policy; providing advise to progressive governments of the pink tide) to outsider initiatives (e.g., the campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity).^[3]

TNI’s capacity to act within transnational fields has been greatly enhanced through its collaborative approach. Its list of collaborators indicates 82 partners, 14 of whom are extensive global civil-society networks such as the Hemispheric Alliance, Our World is Not for Sale, and the Seattle to Brussels Network.^[5]

History

The Transnational Institute (TNI) was established in 1973 with headquarters at Paulus Potter Street 20 (now the Wittenstraat 25) in Amsterdam. On 9 November 1973 Eqbal Ahmad became the first TNI Director. Among TNI's first Fellows were John Berger, Tom Nairn, John Gittings, Richard Gott, Ernst Utrecht, and Ambalavaner Sivanandan.

In 1974 TNI took part in the international campaign to isolate the military dictatorship of Pinochet in Chile. It held its first conference, "The Lessons from Chile", in the aftermath of the military coup. Many exiled Chileans attended, including three former ministers of the Allende government.^[6]

In 1976, Orlando Letelier former Foreign and Defence Minister of Chile and former Ambassador to the US, was appointed director of TNI. His efforts were largely devoted to promoting the New International Economic Order (NIEO). He also managed to stop the Dutch government loaning $60 million for Chilean industrial development.^[7]

On 21 September 1976 Orlando Letelier, together with Ronni Karpen Moffitt, was assassinated in Washington DC with a car bomb. Basker Vashee followed as director of the Institute.

In the following year, TNI focused on boycotting Apartheid in South Africa. They helped to connect and build capacity within social movements and published the research “Black South Africa Explodes”^[8] on the uprising in Soweto and “US Arms Deliveries to South Africa; The Italian Connection”.

Since the late 1970's, a key focus of TNI has been on global corporate and state power.

In 1976 it helped to arrange (and continues to host) the Transnational Information Exchange (TIE), which investigates the role of multinational corporations in shaping global production and consumption practices, and seeks to support the international labour movement.

In 1982, it began working actively on Third World Debt, and in 1995 TNI began researching and producing critical analyses of the practices and polices of the World Trade Organization.

In 2009, it launched a global campaign to stop corporate impunity, exposing the legal impunity that corporations are granted.

Funding

TNI receives part of its institutional funding from the Samuel Rubin Foundation (New York).^[9] In addition, it is supported on a project basis by a range of funders, including church agencies, peace and environmental organisations, European foreign and development co-operation ministries, the European Commission, and private foundations in the United States and Europe.

TNI's audited financial report for the last year and a list of its main funders can be found one www.tni.org/page/finances.

Fellows and Associate Fellows

Fellows: Achin Vanaik, Ben Hayes, Daniel Chavez, David Fig, Edgardo Lander, Hilary Wainwright, Jun Borras, Phyllis Bennis, Praful Bidwai.

Associated: Boris Kagarlitsky, David Sogge, Howard Wachtel, Jochen Hippler, Joel Rocamora, John Cavanagh, Kamil Mahdi, Kees Biekart, Marcos Arruda, Mariano Aguirre, Myriam Vander Stichele, Walden Bello.

Associated Fellows: David Bewley-Taylor, Dot Keet, Gonzalo Berrón, Pauline Tiffen, Ricardo Vargas, Tom Reifer

Senior Fellows: Saul Landau

Former fellows and contributors: Susan George, John Gittings, Fred Halliday, Richard Falk, Michael Shuman, Dan Smith, Praful Bidwai, Brid Brennan, Martin Jelsma, and Basker Vashee.

Publications

• Building Peace in Permanent War 2015 ^[10]
• "Rethinking Corporatization and Public Services in the Global South." 2015.
• State of Power 2015. An Annual Anthology of Power and Resistance.^[11]
• Primer on Ocean grabbing 2014 ^[12]
• Primer on Coca 2014
• Bouncing Back 2014 ^[13]
• Rise and Decline of Cannabis Prohibition 2014 ^[14]
• State of Power 2014 ^[15]
• "Beyond Development. Alternative Visions from Latin America." 2013.^[16]
• Profiting from Injustice 2012 ^[17]
• Primer on Landgrabbing 2012^[18]
• State of Power 2013. Exposing the Davos Class.
• State of Power 2012. Exposing the Davos Class.^[19]
• "Whose Crisis? Whose Future?" 2010.
• "Systems Overload: Drug Laws and Prisons in Latin America" - published by TNI together with the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) ^[20]
• Of Common Cloth: Women in the Global Textile Industry, edited by Cynthia Enloe with Wendy Chapkis: published by TNI together with the Institute for Policy Studies, 1983.^[21]
• Loaded Questions: Women in Militaries Wendy Chapkis, published by TNI together with the Institute for Policy Studies, with contributions of Cynthia Enloe, 1981.^[22]

References

External links

• Transnational Institute Website
• Yearbook of International Organizations
• Carroll Website and TAPG's