A Global Look to the Local: Replacing globalisation with democratic localisation

Using food systems as an example, this discussion paper identifies forms of economic organisation that might best support the institutionalisation of participation and people-centered processes in environment and development. It demonstrates how localisation reverses the trend of corporate globalisation by discriminating in favour of the ‘local’. This economic approach increases the potential for local self-reliance and self-determination. The author describes a set of mutually reinforcing policies that can increase control of the economy by communities and nation states. Written in a non-academic and accessible style, this book takes a fresh look at the traditions of political and economic philosophy to propose new ethical frameworks to guide both social and economic organisation.