Thank you for sharing this excellent presentation on social three folding. It is as Margaret Mead said, a feww good people make all the difference and can change the world. In the future I thinkg the civil society organizaiton will have more of an impact. I am researching different groups to see how successful they have been. It is not only the big brother government and corporations that should determine the future. People count and their efforts can be very effective in attining world sustainability.

This is the first time that I have been faced with social threefolding, or at least the first time its been this in depth.

I agree with both your comments; first, this presentation is fantastic and certain shows how powerful CSO's have gotten considering they were only initiated in the 90's, and I never heard of social threefolding until I got to this class.

I discovered this browsing a Barnes and Noble. The paradigm (yes, it is a paradigm) provides context within which to understand civic culture. This is a breakthrough anticipated by Brundtland and pushed by the UN. There are phony front groups (ExxonMobile funds several), but they provide a potential not realized by either business or government. I realize that I belong to a few myself. They do lots of service, like in the horrific Midwest floods and in China after the earthquake. They are often faith-based service organizations -- such as public health in Utah or within the Catholic Church. (My daughter just returned from Honduras working on small-scale irrigation infrastructure.) They fly under the media radar but are fundamental. They embody the slogan: "Think globally, act locally." ~WH

I think social threefolding is a great concept, but I don't think it'll ever happen with how things are now. Social threefolding calls for independence between the three realms - political, cultural, and economic - in order to provide a capable system of checks and balances, but all three, especially political and economic, are already so intertwined. The government depends on the economy, and many areas of government (such as defense and agriculture) depend on private companies to provide their services, while many economic powers are larger and more powerful than some world governments. This ridiculous imbalance must be corrected, or the threefolding paradigm will never work.

Right, the resources and established order favors big business and big government. In my desired alternative, I would stress more civic activity, local government, and small businesses. My ten years as a Commissioner of Economic Development in Jersey City has provided the experience to see how to work together. This is why sustainability must be a negotiated, transparent, open process build around consensus building. This appears to happen less in the USA (as reported in the media) than in much of the rest of the world, especially Asia and Latin America. Good observation. ~WH

Professor, I do see the need for an increased participation on the part of local governments and small businesses. After all, it is only those on the ground level of any organization that is fully aware of struggles of the commoners. It reminds me of the alleged quote by Mary Antionette to throw cakes to the disgruntled public, believing that that was all it took to pacify their hunger and unrest. I am from a country similar to the US in its organization of power: the very few can feed the very much (to put it simply). How can the "very few" know what the "very much" are going through? A system of financial independence was established in many developing countries, including mine, that recognized the role of women in catering to the needs of the family. Think about it: despite financial hardships, a mother would always find a way to feed her children; the men and the boys could be out rioting, or engaged in whatever manly activities they could think of (please don't read too deeply into this), but a woman would always place the interest of her home first. Some NGOs began a system of lending on the grassroot level to enabled these local women borrow, support themselves, and repay their debts. These small businesses help them to live. If these were not available to them, if big corporations came in, if the government holds all the power and takes away their voices, how would the commoners live? One thing we have to remember is that those in power want to hold onto that forever. If that system continues without any hindrance, it will get to a point in which 1% of the global population can feed 99% of the world. That would be a very sorry state.

Evelyn, you are catching on to the significance of sustainability as a force for the average person, hence we stress local government, small business, and self-help CSOs -- and the (extended) family and women. This theme is consistent with sustainability. BTW, what country do you come from? (You can reply by email if you wish.) You might focus on your country along the lines of your perceptive comment. ~WH

The reading by Michael Shuman talks about local initiatives to create viable local economies. In a way this is social threefolding because it requires economic activity by local purchasing , businesses and investing. Then socially by using experience found in the community, such as retired business people. and then politically becuase there needs to be policy to sustain the local environment (this can also be a failing state) with living wages, environmental awareness and lobbyists to promote the community.

This is the first time I have actually gotten a chance to read up on threefolding and it does sound like a great idea, but i agree with Roseanne. Political, cultural, and economic realms will never fully become independent of eachother, and this is the key. The powerpoint and paper were really helpful to understand why this is happening