Much has been written and discussed about globalisation and its effects on our economy, politics and culture. But little has been said about how it can be managed more democratically. The recent financial and economic global crisis has emphasised the urgent need to re-think a process that seems to have escaped from the hands of governments, big business and, most importantly, the control of the public. It is generally agreed that the planet is suffering from problems that are difficult to resolve: the concentration of financial and media power, environmental degradation, demographic explosion, poverty and violence.