Includes bibliographical references (p. 255-259) and index.

Threefolding: the language of the new tri-polar world -- Whose world? surveying the terrain of contention -- The battle of Seattle -- The threats and opportunities of globalization -- Elite globalization and the world power structure behind it -- Civil society as a global countervailing force -- Identity crisis -- Co-optation: the ironic fruit of the battle of Seattle? -- The cultural nature of civil society -- Testing the framework -- Cultural power -- Cultural creatives and the cultural revolution of the 21st century -- Civil society and the threefolding of national and global social space -- Example of Philippine agenda 21 -- Tri-sector partnerships at the United Nations: boon or bane? -- The juggernaut of tri-sector partnerships -- Civil society and the beginning of history.

Shaping Globalization argues that global civil society is a cultural institution wielding cultural power, and shows how, through the use of this distinct power, it can advance its agenda in the political and economic realms of society without compromising its identity. The book then outlines the strategic implications for civil society both locally and globally, and explains that its key task is to inaugurate "threefolding:" the forging, where appropriate, of strategic partnerships between civil society, government, and business. Such authentic tri-sector partnerships are essential for advancing new ways for nations to develop, and for charting a different, sustainable kind of globalization. Using the model of The Philippine Agenda 21, the book shows how civil society and pro-gressive individuals and agencies in government and business are demonstrating the effectiveness of this new understanding to ensure that globalization benefits the poor, societies, and nature.-- Book description.