The Logic of Connective Action

With the world economy in crisis, the heads of the 20 leading economies held a series of meetings beginning in the fall of 2008 to coordinate financial rescue policies. Wherever the G20 leaders met, whether in Washington, London, St. Andrews, Pittsburgh, Toronto, or Seoul, they were greeted by protests. London was the scene of nearly a week of coordinated events scheduled on different days to accommodate activists of various political stripes. The largest of these demonstrations was sponsored by a number of prominent NGOs, including Oxfam, Friends of the Earth, Save the Children, and World Vision. This loose coalition launched a campaign called "Put People First" (PPF), promoting public mobilization against the social and environmental harms they felt would result from "business as usual" solutions to the financial crisis. The website for the campaign carried the simple statement: