GLOBAL CIVIL-SOCIETY - TRANSNATIONAL SOCIAL-MOVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS AND SOCIAL CAPITAL

The growth of international political and economic institutions has bo th facilitated and demanded cooperation among social change activists from different countries, contributing to the rapid expansion of trans nationally organized social movements. But to what extent do these inc reasingly visible movements manifest a ''global civil society''? Do tr ansnational social movement organizations (TSMOs) help cultivate the s ocial capital relevant to a politically engaged global civil society? Building on Minkoff's analysis of national SMOs, this article argues t hat TSMOs contribute to the formation of social capital that is releva nt to the global political order; even if these organizations do not g enerate routine, face-to-face contact among members. They do so by pro viding an infrastructure that facilitates transnational communication and action, by cultivating transnational identities, and by developing a global public discourse. This analysis of the role of social moveme nts in the global polity relates to more general debates on civil soci ety and democracy.