As others have pointed out today, philanthropy by the wealthy can rarely have the same impact in the international arena as collective action by people with less money through their governments. That said, a remark by UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres at a press conference with Angelina Jolie on the education of children of conflict really brought home for me what one purpose of the Clinton Global Initiative is, beyond the direct power of the philanthropic efforts it helps to inspire and organize. The point of a $9 million education commitment Guterres was discussing was not just the money, he said. The money was "an instrument" that established the principle that refugees had a right to be educated. The establishment of social principles and recognition of rights is something that can and sometimes must precede government action, and something philanthropy can help build. In some ways the CGI is operating as a massive lobbying effort by Bill Clinton and many others directed toward business interests and the wealthy, with the goal of making them more progressive. If corporations help establish a general social principle and change their own values through through their commitments to philanthropy, that changes the political climate for the next Democratic president. To put it more concretely, if, say, WAL-MART makes a commitment to asking the shipping fleets that move its goods around the country to change from regular gasoline to bio-diesel, that influences not just the environment and not just the American trucking industry, but also the political climate for Democrats seeking legislative solutions to climate change, by turning a potential business opponent into an ally and industry green leader. Indeed, going straight to the heads of industry can lead to grassroots impacts -- such as a world where American truckers become more environmentally conscious, because they have to be -- and where those changes could, in turn, potentially trickle up again through the political system.
--Garance Franke-Ruta
