Power to the People

Danny Sriskandarajah learned the value of citizenship at a young age as the child of Tamil migrants who moved from Sri Lanka to Australia. Arriving in the UK as the first Rhodes scholar from an Asian immigrant background, he has gone on to run a series of civil society organisations, and has become a leading voice in the third sector.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE is his radical manifesto for change designed to inspire citizen action around the world. The book presents a blueprint for how we, as individuals, can make a difference through greater community engagement, and how we can deliver a society that works for the many and not the few. He speaks to voter apathy and a growing sense that elections no longer matter, with politicians and institutions too focused on short-term issues to grapple with complex global problems such as climate change, rising inequality, and digital disruption. Yet the book is also filled with inspiring real-life examples of citizen power in action, ranging from a volunteer-run repair cafe in Danny's local suburb to Avaaz's successful campaigns to tackle endemic corruption in Brazil.

From public ownership of social media spaces to democratising share ownership, and from re-energising co-operatives to creating a people's chamber at the United Nations, this campaigning book has a clear mission to make us reclaim our power as citizens of the world.

[Power to the People] sounds like yet another political self-help book, but is in fact upbeat, empowering, alive with the possibilities of civic action and vibrant with examples from the past . . . One of the things that makes his book stand out is the depth of his global expertise. For every idea he has about participatory budgeting or deliberative democracy, he can name five places in the world where it has worked. -- Zoe Williams, Guardian
Danny connects his personal story with society's collective story of who we are and who we can be. He provides a beacon that lights up our confidence that we can shift power to the people and helps guide us on our way -- Winnie Byanyima, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
After a lifetime of campaigning Danny has written a passionate, wise, inspiring and - hurray! - very entertaining book about how individuals really do have the power to change the world for the better -- Richard Curtis, co-founder of Comic Relief
Urgent and essential, at the heart of Power to the People lies a simple but profound truth: that people acting together can change the world -- Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
Danny Sriskandarajah has written a book that is positive, instructive, probing, inspiring and hopeful. His own life story shows the power of people, and his message that we the people must take back control of the future could not be more timely -- David Miliband, former UK Foreign Secretary
I would rather see this book on the desk of any executive, over the countless business books which wrongly argue that companies should pursue profit at all costs. It is a timely reminder that people shape economies, that inequality is far from inevitable, and that we must work collectively - business, government, and citizens - to build a brighter future where all can thrive -- Paul Polman, business leader and co-author of Net Positive
This wise, warm and worldly book calls on us to reimagine our democracies and democratize our economies. It's time - so dive in! -- Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics
Powerful -- Yanis Varoufakis, economist and politician
In present times, our disillusionment with leaders and institutions is - fortunately - matched by our urgency to act, to reform and to collaborate for good. To unlock change we must find better ways to connect hard-won lessons from the past with our vivid imagination of the future. In this book, Danny provides inspiration, analysis and examples from his own experience on how this is possible. -- Lysa John, Secretary General, CIVICUS
This is the intriguing story of the volunteerism and participation that Danny champions smashing up against the steel walls of modern authoritarianism. And more grippingly, the ways to dismantle those walls with a direct democracy that drops its historic formalism and espouses direct engagement by people. This is a handbook about democratic renewal. -- Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
In a world filled with challenges, Power to the People offers a refreshing perspective and a call to action for all who aspire to create a more just and equitable society. As we rethink and retool activism to meet unprecedented and existential challenges, this book is essential reading. -- Kumi Naidoo, former head of Amnesty International, CIVICUS and Greenpeace International
Danny's call to protect civic freedoms, renew democracy and deliver the Sustainable Development Goals is much needed at such a difficult time. -- Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and Chair of The Elders

Danny Sriskandarajah is the child of Tamil migrants who moved from Sri Lanka to Australia. Since receiving his doctorate from Oxford University, where he was the first Rhodes scholar from an Asian Immigrant background, he has had a distinguished career in the third sector.

This has included running CIVICUS, the Johannesburg-based alliance of civil society organisations, and being CEO of Oxfam GB, where he introduced a series of reforms to involve partner organisations and challenge fundraising orthodoxies. He has been a Trustee of Comic Relief, the Disasters Emergency Committee and the Guy's & St Thomas' Foundation, and has served on two United Nations high-level panels.

His opinion pieces have been published in newspapers in more than 30 countries, and he regularly appears on broadcast media, including programmes such as the BBC's Today programme, Hard Talk and Question Time. He has spoken at over 500 events in some 70 countries, including at the United Nations General Assembly, the World Economic Forum Annual Meetings at Davos, and committees of both Houses of the UK Parliament.

In January 2024 he became the CEO of the New Economics Foundation, the progressive think tank. He tweets @dhnnjyn

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