Globalization, Safety & Sustainability Lecture Notes PDF

*globalisation, safety & sustainability* ======================================== semester 1 -- mid-terms **lecture 1 -- september 13^th^** **reading material chapter 1** \"**Gradualism**,\" is a concept founded by paleontologist Stephen J. Gould. He believes that big life changes usually happen...

*globalisation, safety & sustainability* ======================================== semester 1 -- mid-terms **lecture 1 -- september 13^th^** **reading material chapter 1** \"**Gradualism**,\" is a concept founded by paleontologist Stephen J. Gould. He believes that big life changes usually happen during rare, quick events rather than through slow, steady changes. This idea helps explain the big changes of the late 20th century, which were marked by the rise of information technology and its wide-ranging effects on society and culture. Here, technology means using scientific knowledge in practical ways, covering many areas like microelectronics, computing, communications, and even genetic engineering. The information technology revolution in the late 20th century was a key moment in history, similar to the **Industrial Revolution**, showing a major shift from industrial technology to digital systems. This change has had a huge impact on the economy, society, and culture. The author highlights how these new technologies affect all parts of life, especially in how we produce things and communicate. A major idea is \"**networking logic**,\" which refers to how modern technology connects different fields and provides flexibility in processes. This also leads to a more integrated society. The 1970s were an important time for these changes, as economic crises and military improvements encouraged technological growth, especially in the U.S. This period led to innovation hubs, like Silicon Valley, where focused efforts led to new ideas and companies. Furthermore, in exploring the relationship between technology and society, it's noted that while technology influences social changes, the results are complex and depend on many factors. This relationship is part of what\'s called the **information technology paradigm**, which includes five main features: treating information as a basic resource, the widespread effects of technology, networking logic, increased flexibility, and the blending of different types of technology. Finally, as information technology merges with biotechnology, it suggests a future where advancements in one area could lead to progress in another, especially in health care and understanding life. The author stresses the importance of carefully examining these changes and encourages ongoing exploration of how technology and society interact. Overall, the text connects the development of technology with the ongoing changes in human life. **the components of globalisation** - changing concepts of space and time - interconnections and interdependencies - problems common to all the world's inhabitants **space and time** - the information era: **interconnections and interdependencies** the "local-global" nexus: how changes in one geographical area are affected by changes in other areas "**network** **society**": transnational exchanges, relations, and affiliations are driven by knowledge networks interconnections at world level include states, companies, localities, social movements, interest groups, and individuals **transnational actors and organisations** - transnational corporations (TNCs) - international governmental organisations (IGOs) - international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) - diasporas, stateless people - migrants, tourists, consultants, artists, academics, economic elites, diplomats, criminal organisations, etc. **increasing cultural flows** - consciousness or awareness that the world is one single space, yet culturally very diverse - can we speak of a global culture? **common problems** - global crime - climate change; environmental degradation and resource depletion - migration - human rights & human security - health and disease **defining globalisation** *how did we get here?* european expansion and colonialism (starting around 15^th^ century) the expansion of capitalist industrialization (19^th^ and 20^th^ centuries) 1^st^ globalisation wave (1945-1971) 2^nd^ globalisation wave (1980 -- 2000) **european expansion and colonialism** 15^th^ up to 17^th^ centuries: europe managed to "take the lead", when up until then it was behind in many ways: influencing the production and trade of several commodities in distant countries spreading institutions all over the world (including religious ones) **the enlightenment movement** body of influential ideas that spread across europe. *it viewed the potential of human progress through the power of reason*. state elites became aware of a current of ideas spreading throughout europe, and in a position to impose institutional reforms. mostly by encouraging technological and scientific developments at "home" removing obstacles to trade (necessary for larger production ventures) reforming political institutions systems **a catastrophic event: the Lisbon earthquake of 1755** catastrophes (natural or human-induced) have the potential to force societies into reflection about their collective history about the identification of "good" and "evil" **about the sources of authority from which they can seek protection from threats** **industrialization and modern capitalism** technological developments in Europe, enabling the industrial revolution transform the geography and demography of entire continents emergence of modern capitalism as the central form of organizing production, distribution, and consumption all goods produced are sold in markets wealth-producing resources are privately owned, but the state remains key in providing the legal and material infrastructure workers depend on wage employment instead of self-provision production is organized to generate profit, which should return to the capital source and/ or be re-invested for further wealth accumulation **from industrial to information age** **industrial age** industrial society is a society where capitalist industrial organizations permeates all spheres of activity: in the economic system, in the military system, and reaching the objects and habits of everyday life characterized by the mass production of standardized goods in large, integrated companies, and accompanied by the growth of industrial services **information age** information and knowledge are the driving forces of society. specific form of social organization in which information generation, processing, and transmission become the fundamental sources of power and productivity, because of new technological conditions networks rather than classic hierarchies, are the "stuff" that shape contemporary organizations **lecture 2** the **informational economy is a global ≠ world economy**. only in the late 20^th^ century, the international economy became truly global due to new infrastructure provided by information and communication technologies world economy (1^st^ globalization wave): exists at least since 16^th^ century, an economy in which capital accumulation spreads throughout the world, especially from the industrial age onwards global economy (2^nd^ globalization wave): an economy with the capacity to work as a unit in real-time on a planetary scale **fordism** named after Henry Ford (1863-1947), it was an industrial system involving **the mass production of standardized goods** by large, integrated companies (began around 1910's) in the perspective of workers, it was a difficult and alienating experience: powerless (if not unionized), exploited and underpaid **mass consumption society** between **1950s and 1970s**: rising wages (mostly US) and large, standardized production processes that reduced costs increased flow of cheaper, standardized commodities = *mass production generates mass consumption* **mass consumption** brought **expansion of advertising** industry, **extension of credit facilities** for average income earners, and the development of the "**leisure society**" **the crisis of the fordist production model & second globalization wave** **late 1960s**: profits started to fall, economic growth slowed down and new competitors came in **the 1970s oil crisis** **post industrialism/ post fordism** **production becomes organized in a global scale**: there are a few limitations to the free flow of capital around the world, which is controlled by companies, banks, hedge funds, and governments. production processes are subcontracted in low-income countries, all over the globe **shifts to service jobs:** rationalization model is applied in an increasing number of service sectors: efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control through technology most **workers** are employed on a **temporary** or **casual** basis. required to be flexible and adaptable. welfare rights are decreasing: workers have limited power to organize against the employers' demands **networks** **the power of networks** analytical tool to look at society and its organizations examines the ***transition from an international to a global economy*** distinguishes ***industrial from information capitalism*** new perspective (at the time) on the interconnected world around us, indicating that networks would dominate the 21^st^ century **what is a network?** networks emerge by way of ***thinking in connections*** -- connections between organizations, persons, and things. they are established by interconnecting a group or system ***social network***: a group of people (organizations or other entities) connected by a set of socially meaningful relationships. they interact for the purpose of getting connections or personal advancements ***network organization***: non-hierarchical ***network society***: todays' society is mostly driven by ***knowledge networks*** ("what" you know and "who" you know) ***connection/being connected*** is a fundamental and basic human condition. being part of a groups or a network helps achieving goals which we could not achieve on our own network examples ***people***: (mass) movement of people: diaspora, migrants, tourists, students, refugees ***media***: global telecommunications - faster and easier access to increasing amounts of information, ideas and images ***finance***: global flows of capital; global movement of currency markets, national stock exchanges, virtual currencies, overlap between legal and illegal capital flows **network society trends: the 4 I's** **individualizatio**n: a process by which individuals become less and less dependent on others to achieve economic, social, and political goals **informalization**: traditional organizations and institutions lose important or undergo intense change. less hierarchy and more equality in human relationships: in the family, education, and work spheres. distinction between private and public, work and home, free time and work time fades away **information/informatization**: process by which people can (easily) find, select, and apply information, images, and ideas from all available information sources **internationalization/transnationalism**: networks expand beyond **limits to the global economy and the role of the state** still many **restrictions on labor mobility**: especially restrictions on migration -\> state is still the key player (and regulator) in the migration debate **regionalization** is a core characteristic of the global informational economy, the adjustment of states in face of globalization has an increasingly regional, or regionalized dimension. states prefer to integrate their economies with their friends' regional economies, regional trading blocks, preferential treatment: EU, NATO, ASEAN etc. **regional cooperation** (above or below the state level) offers member-states advantages with which government institutions can cope with global pressures **basis for regional cooperation:** natural (geography, shared resources), socio-cultural (language, religion, ethnicity), political-economic (based on trade, free flow of citizens, military cooperation, etc.) **lecture 3** globalisation -- information age - space/time compression - interconnection and interdependence - transnational actors and organizations - increasing cultural flows common problems - global crime - environmental degradation - migration and human rights - health and disease - **inequality and concentration of wealth** **defining globalization (2^nd^ wave 1980-onwards)** mechanics of globalisation (Majid Tehranian) globalization is a process that has been going on for the past 5000 years, but it has significantly accelerated since the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. elements of globalization include transborder capital, labour, management, news, images, and data flows. the main engines of globalization are transnational corporations (TNCs), transnational media organizations (TMCs), intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and alternative government organizations (AGOs). from a humanist perspective, globalization entails both positive and negative consequences: it is both narrowing and widening the income gaps among and within nations, intensifying and diminishing political domination, and homogenizing and pluralizing cultural identities global crisis (Martin Shaw) **global crises** matter not merely because of their widespread harmful effects to human beings -- poverty and unemployment, pollution and drought, dispossession and genocide. they are important too because it is through such crises that we can increasingly **identify global society and the development of its institutions**. through an understanding of crises we can begin to grasp the forms which global society is taking and the processes transforming it ([re-configurations]) in the present historical period there is structural violence brought about by the **rapid expansion of the market system** all over the world. a basic aspect of that system is **monetization**, meaning that what is required for basic needs satisfaction is available only against money, not labor, for instance. with less than one dollar per day the basic needs for food, clothes, shelter and health care cannot be met. as a result people die, probably now to the tune of 100,000 per day, of under/malnutrition, -clothing and housing and the lack of health services for the diseases that follow, because they are also **monetarized** and **unsubsidized**. at the same time wealth accumulates at the top. Many people hate this. **Erik Swyngedouw (globalisation or glocalisation)** during the 1980s, a rather dramatic discursive shift took place... globalisation emerged as the theoretical vehicle and analytical device used to describe this allegedly important shift in the economic and political organisation of the world economy and the concept soon moved into the cultural domain too. it is an integral part of an intensifying ideological, political, socioeconomic, and cultural struggle over the **organisation of society** and the **position of the citizen**\... "jumping scales" or *glocalisation*. rescaling of governance: EU, G20, OPEC, UN, WTO, Paris Agreement, etc. rescaling of economic networks: Silicon Valley, Booking.com, Uber, uber eats, etc. these **new forms of governance** fundamentally transform **state/civil-society relations** rescaling economic networks and territorialities of governance (jumping scales) on powering and disempowering types of struggle: class, ethnic, gender, cultural (considering the changes in forms of governance and economic relations) **la pensée unique** \"la pensée unique,\" or the \"single thought,\" describes how one dominant ideology --- focused on free markets, privatization, and minimal government interference --- has become the only acceptable way of thinking, especially since the rise of globalization. from a neo-marxist perspective, this phenomenon isn't just a preference for one way of doing things; it\'s a way to control society by shaping our beliefs about what is possible or acceptable. **1. ideological control and limiting debate** - neo-marxists argue that la pensée unique works as a tool for ideological control. It pushes the idea that only neoliberal values --- like open markets, competition, and deregulation --- are valid. this discourages other viewpoints (like socialism or cooperative economies) by making them seem impractical or even dangerous. this way, the \"single thought\" limits debate, allowing the capitalist system to go unchallenged. **2. everything as a commodity** - this ideology spreads market logic into all areas of life, from education to healthcare, framing human needs as business opportunities. neo-marxists argue this process serves to alienate people by reducing social and personal relationships to transactions, turning individuals into consumers instead of empowered citizens. **3. globalization as capitalist expansion** - la pensée unique frames globalization as universally good, but neo-marxists see it as a way for wealthy countries and corporations to grow profits. neoliberal globalization pressures poorer countries to open markets and cut social services, creating global inequalities where powerful economies dominate weaker ones. **4. weakening of democracy** - by presenting neoliberal policies as \"the only way\" and transferring decisions to technocrats, la pensée unique sidelines democracy. economic policies are often made by experts out of the public\'s reach, discouraging citizen engagement and leaving little room for political alternatives. **5. \"end of history\" narrative** - la pensée unique promotes the idea that free-market capitalism and liberal democracy are the ultimate form of society, an idea popularized as the \"end of history.\" neo-marxists argue this stifles any vision of a different or better system, framing capitalism as unchangeable and silencing revolutionary ideas. **summary** in essence, neo-marxists see la pensée unique as a way to secure capitalism by making people believe it's the only viable option. it hides systemic problems, controls public debate, and makes people feel that real change is impossible, securing the power of the capitalist elite **lecture 4** **Erik Swyngedouw (globalisation or glocalisation)** the idea that social life is process-based, in a state of perpetual change, transformation, and reconfiguration the emergence of new territorial scales of governance and the redefinition of existing scales (like the nation-state) change the **regulation** and **organisation** of social, political, and economic **power relations** scalar strategies mobilised by both elites and subaltern social groups this is exactly the process that smith refers to as the '**jumping of scales'**, a process that signals how politics are spatialised by mechanisms of stretching and contracting objects across space this (stretching process) is **a process driven by class, ethnic, gender and cultural struggles**. on the one hand, domineering organizations attempt to control the dominated by confining the latter and their organizations to a manageable scale. on the other hand, subordinated groups attempt to liberate themselves from these imposed scale constraints by harnessing power and instrumentalities at other scales. in the process, scale is actively produced the next step is to think about... - rescaling of the economic networks - rescaling of scales of governance these scale redefinitions in turn alter the geometry of social power by strengthening the power and the control of some while disempowering others in the process, significant new social, economic, or political scales are constructed, while others disappear or are altered thinking in Lisbon earthquake during periods of great social, economic, cultural, political, and ecological turmoil and disorder, when temporal and spatial routines are questioned, broken down, and reconfigured, important processes of geographical rescaling take place that interrogate existing power lines while constructing new ones the new political-economic and cultural-ecological conditions have once again shattered existing boundaries, produced new ones, and rearticulated spatial scales in ways that are at times **promising** and at others **disturbing** (historic) reconfiguring of scales promising outcomes disturbing outcomes event (human or natural) that cause social turmoil and disorder **lecture 5** ***sustainability is the capacity to support, maintain, or endure; it can indicate both a goal and a process***. it can also be upheld or defended, as in sustainable definitions of good corporate practice sustainability has come to be strongly linked with the environment and a better way to structure our societies, companies, and our daily lives (process) in order to protect the long-term future of our planet and the ability of future generations to exist and thrive (goal) types of sustainability: social (people), environmental (nature-natural resources), economic (maintaining the current system by doing more with less) **origins of sustainability** Starts in conjunction with the environmental movement in the 1960s **Club of Rome (1968**): this report demonstrated that an economy built on the continuous expansion of material consumption is fundamentally not sustainable **United Nations Conference on the Human Environment** held in Stockholm in **1972** highlighted that civilization is exhausting the resources upon which its continued existence depends **Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change** (IPCC) -- for policy making. (**1988**) **Kyoto Protocol** in 1997 **business** **business can be described as a commercial enterprise, company, or firm involved in the trade of products and services for profit** businesses are predominant in capitalist economies and are usually privately owned; in socialist economies businesses are more frequently state-owned businesses may also be operated as not-for-profit enterprises **why sustainability and business** accountability: 'corporate social responsibility' (CSR), 'social and environmental responsibility' some businesses choose to be sustainable in order to prevent government intervention or policies that might restrict their operations: 'Cradle to Cradle', 'green capitalism', 'eco-efficiency', the 'triple bottom line' ('People, Profit, Planet') simply put: it is the right thing to do. this belief suggests that if all the external incentives were removed, businesses would still choose to be sustainable **sustainable development** the pursuit of sustainable development is often stated as the key policy goal of many international organizations including the UN, the world bank, the international monetary fund (IMF) and the world trade organization (WTO) the Brundtland report (1987) referred to sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. sustainable development is targeted at finding strategies to promote economic and social development in ways that avoid environmental degradation, over-exploitation, and pollution, often known in business as the triple bottom line. (people/planet/profit) agenda 21 (UN,1992) suggested that a balance must be found between the needs of the environment and those of humankind **critical approaches to sustainable development** critics have noted that the term '**sustainable development'** is an **oxymoron**, as the two terms 'sustainable' and 'development' have contradictory meanings **consideration for the non-human** was/ is lacking we will need several more planet earths to accommodate the current global population, let alone if the population continues to grow **social and economic sustainability** the concept of (subjective) **well-being** **social sustainability refers to issues concerned with social equality, poverty, and problems associated with justice** **economic sustainability is linked to well-being in relation to financial indicators** such as GDP, GDP per capita, minimum or living wage additionally, economic sustainability can be seen as a combination of five different capitals: natural, social, human, financial, and manufactured **environmental sustainability** biggest threats to the environment: industrial development **eco-efficiency refers to the idea of doing more with less**. ability to generate more value, by producing on a large scale, using less materials and generating less impacts eco-effectiveness advocates for the production of goods and services **by focusing on the development of products and industrial systems that maintain or enhance the quality and productivity of materials**, rather than depleting them **cradle to cradle and the circular economy** the **circular economy model** uses the functioning of ecosystems as an example for industrial processes, emphasizing a shift towards ecologically sound products and renewable energy **cradle to cradle** (C2C) considers not just minimizing the damage but proposes how contemporary waste and depletion of resources can be avoided by adhering to a cyclical 'waste=food' principle proponents of both the circular economy and C2C **propose eco-effectiveness**, which supports an endless cycle of materials that mimics nature's 'no waste' nutrient cycles! this implies that the industry faces a new range of opportunities and challenges -- in product design, material and supplier choice, and producer responsibility for the production and waste stage **lecture 6** globalization recap: "time-space compression" latest stage in modern capitalism is global, as well as its forces: states, world military order, and the international division of labor historically unprecedented emergence of the "network society" assumption that social and environmental problems are inherently global, even if mostly experienced on the local level assumption that, as capital and labour become increasingly mobile, the deeper the integration of global supply chains into the world's trade system subject to intense theoretical debate 4 main views optimistic pessimistic transformationist internationalist **optimistic view:** globalization brings great social and economic benefits. "technological innovation is the key to sustainable solutions" **pessimistic view:** attempts to modify nature bring unintended and terrible consequences. pursuit for profit is never-ending. "change the system before attempting to save the planet" **transformationist view:** butterfly effect, in which the outcomes are not necessarily pre-determined, can be either "good" or "bad" **internationalist view:** globalization happens because states have an interest in it. still largely up to states to decide on policies that affect or are affected by global forces and policies **risk society** ***social preoccupation with the future and with safety***, based on notions of external/ natural risks and manufactured/ human-produced risks ***systematic way of dealing with hazards and insecurities*** introduced by (industrial) modernization and anticipating harms arising from technological and economic change motion of ***eco-leadership***: requires a (very) long-term vision, awareness (and management) of environmental risks, adoption of a non-anthropocentric perspective. yet most risks' assessment and management will be more immediate if not involving major investments insurance against effects of climate change is a relatively new (and expensive) thing **corporate responsibility** old debate in which one side maintains that businesses' main function is to create growth, wealth and profit\...While the other defends that the interests of stakeholders (communities, workers, environment) should be equally considered in business operations **strong business case for more corporate social responsibility, in the form of sustainable business practices**: sustainability and CSR departments have flourished and are now a major part in business models. more than ever, businesses are called upon in taking responsibility over social and environmental problems; they must show some level of accountability for the impacts they produce however, it is difficult (if not impossible) to force companies into good practices **global supply chains** example: the clothing industry notorious for its **poor working and environmental conditions**: excessive use of water, pollutants, etc. **naming and shaming** brands that use suppliers that maintain these conditions has resulted in a **strategy focused on consumers**, who (in full consciousness) can decide what they buy, based on the information they collect **brand owners** have become subject to **pressure to manage environmental and social burdens** on the different stages of the supply chain inputs (at the factory) fabric: produced elsewhere water: sourced locally dye: produced elsewhere, imported labor: usually local or seasonal. machinery and equipment: basically the same as a century ago. services labelling and packaging transport, insurance, and distribution retail **\ ** **globalization of technology** most industrialized countries seem to have clearly benefitted from (global) capitalist expansion for quite some time: good working conditions, and the existence of a functioning, welfare state **technology has brought huge improvements of material life** (good pay, more consumption, more leisure) but it **has also brought de-skilling, precarious working conditions, un- and underemployment, and hazardous environmental impacts** **neoliberalism** **neoliberalism**: economic-political theory that promotes free trade, privatization, minimal government intervention in business, and reduced public spending in social services belief that **market-based solutions will correct all social and environmental problems**. political attention should be focused on consumer choices and lifestyles, rather than on how things are produced and distributed **neoliberalism and sustainability** **shifting the burden to the individual:** strategy to defend businesses ability to choose/ or resist regulation of resource-intensive, polluting, or socially damaging products. Individual responsibility does not guarantee sustainable consumer choices (nor even rational, though this theory assumes a perfectly rational individual at its core) **market is seen as the solution to issues of sustainability and conservation**: market forces are merging into social and environmental policy, planning, and practice, but still under strict financial management of people and resources **extension of corporate self-regulation with new constructs and instruments** such as "carbon trading", "biodiversity derivatives", "ecosystems services". Nature is seen as an "asset" **ecological modernization theory** grounded in assumption that technology will solve social and environmental problems decouples economic growth from environmental degradation -\> this is seen as a cause and condition of poverty, not as a result of industrialization processes intense use of resources until a saturation point will inevitably bring technological change, aimed at reducing amount of natural resources, energy consumed, and waste produced per unit of GDP **criticism** saturation level is unsustainable, if consumption continues to grow questionable if wealthier countries are willing to cut back consumption and if this would be sufficient. or if they are willing to "de-growth" implementing sustainable management without altering social relations of production has many risks. more wealth (consuming more) does not translate necessarily into more ecological behaviour **lecture 7** **Swyngedouw on rescaling/glocalisation processes** rescaling of the economic networks rescaling of scales of governance (institutional arrangements) these scale redefinitions in turn alter the geometry of social power by strengthening the power and the control of some while disempowering others. In the process, significant new social, economic, or political scales are constructed, while others disappear or are altered. this is exactly the process that Smith refers to as the '**jumping of scales'** jumping of scales...is a process driven by class, ethnic, gender, and **cultural struggles (IIM!).** on the one hand, domineering organizations attempt to control the dominated by confining the latter and their organizations to a manageable scale. on the other hand, subordinated groups attempt to liberate themselves from these imposed scale constraints by harnessing power and instrumentalities at other scales. In the process, scale is actively produced during periods of great social, economic, cultural, political, and ecological turmoil and disorder, when temporal and spatial routines are questioned, broken down, and reconfigured, **important processes of geographical rescaling** take place that interrogate existing power lines while constructing new ones. (for example, the fall of the Soviet Block in 1989) finally, 'glocalization' refers to\... the contested restructuring of the institutional level from the national scale -that move- both upwards to supra-national or global scales and downwards to the scale of the individual body or the local, urban, or regional configurations **these new forms of governance fundamentally transform state/civil-society relations** **general aspects in regard to the IIM** **what is indigenous?** original inhabitants of a territory *indigenous* is a legal term, not a group 5000 ethnic groups in the world. About 350 to 450 million people today territories where cultural and natural diversity can be found groups and cultures that existed and persisted before colonial times, during the colonial period, and after colonial regimes ended characterized by **poverty and discrimination** **reasons to present the IIM as a case study in this course** high rates of poverty and discrimination turn this social group a subject to safety and security management studies high HR vulnerability (limited access to education, justice, health, **security**) nation-states\' inefficient protection of indigenous populations (minorities) the IIM is a social movement that successfully enables **scalar strategies** for the construction and defense of their rights and security (\...scalar strategies mobilised both elites and subaltern social groups to change the regulation and organisation of social, political, and economic power relations\...) **brief history of IIM** **chronology of rescaling events** international lobbying effort of Levi General Deskaheh, chief of the younger bear clan of the Cayuga nation and spokesperson of the six nations for the grand river land in Ontario. in 1923-24 Deskaheh went to Geneva to obtain a hearing at the league of nations concerning a dispute with Canada over tribal self-government the universal declaration of human rights, ratified in 1948 in the context of the Jewish holocaust and the defense of minority rights after the end of WWII in this context and until 1989 the IIM needed to engage exclusively vis a vis nation states to claim their rights\...as a minority (Bolivia) self-determination and the international labour organization (UN) **convention no.169**. of year 1989 concerning indigenous and tribal peoples (list of countries that ratified it) gave the opportunity to claim rights at a supranational level and not only vis a vis nation states (what is the difference between a declaration and a convention? who are indigenous? what is the difference between individual and collective rights?) ILO No.169 convention coincides with the fall of the Berlin Wall. how the collapse of the Soviet Block affected the IIM? the establishment of the **permanent forum of indigenous peoples** at UN is established in the year 2000. the special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples started in 2001 **United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples** (UNDRIP) and the right of self-determination is accepted in the year 2007. a year later, in 2008 the expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples is established to meet every year at the UN offices in Geneva. (the consolidation of collective rights by IIM became a legal reality) these set of events has enable the IIM to... restructuring of the institutional level from the national scale -and move- both upwards to supra-national or global scales and downwards to the scale of the individual body or the local, urban or regional configurations but also... fundamentally transform state/civil-society (IIM) relations\...for good **IIM rescaling strategies and outcomes** one of the main arguments is that IIM achieved to: jumping of scales...by a process driven by ethnic and **cultural struggles (IIM!)** while domineering organizations (nation-states) attempt to control the dominated (IIM) by confining the latter and their organizations to a manageable scale. on the other hand, **subordinated groups** attempt to liberate themselves from these imposed scale constraints by harnessing power and instrumentalities at other scales (UN supranational structures: UNDRIP, Permanent Forum, and EMRIP). in the process, scale is actively produced