Danny Sriskandarajah - Philanthropy, Inequality & Power in Global Civil Society

<p>In episode 68 we talk to Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB about philanthropy, inequality and power in global civil society. Including:</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Philanthropy & Inequality</strong></p> <ul> <li>What is the core role of philanthropy within society which differentiates it from either state or market provision?</li> <li>What should we make of arguments that philanthropy is a distraction from the need to focus on ensuring that the world’s elites are taxed appropriately, and may therefore be holding back efforts to address global inequality?</li> <li>Is there a danger that models of philanthropy are paternalistic, and too often about decisions being made about communities rather than by them?</li> <li>Are some philanthropist willing to challenge & seek change to the systems that made them wealthy in the first place?</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong>Power & Structure</strong></p> <ul> <li>There is a lot of focus in global philanthropy and civil society at the moment on “shifting power” ─ from funders to recipients, from the global north to the global south etc. –  by supporting grassroots orgs or using participatory approaches. How is this informing Oxfam’s work?</li> <li>Are there practical challenges when it comes to shifting power? E.g. in the relationship between formal organisations and movements, and the dangers of “movement capture”?</li> <li>We are seeing more focus on the idea of decentralised or non-hierarchical governance models for social change movements - do you think this will filter into wider civil society? What opportunities and challenges might this bring?</li> <li>Is declining trust is an issue for civil society? If so, is this merely part of a wider decline in trust in traditional institutions, or do charities and CSOs face particular challenges? And how can they reverse this trend?</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong>The Climate Emergency</strong></p> <ul> <li>Does Oxfam view the global climate emergency as primarily an environmental issue or a social justice issue? What