The graphic above is the Contraction and Convergence analysis from Aubrey Meyer at the Global Commons Institute, which I regard as the single most elegant and important idea currently awaiting adoption by humanity.
You can click on the image to view the full size original. Animations and full PDF versions are available from the GCI homepage.

The articles below are listed in reverse chronological order.

• TRANS-ATLANTIC WRITTEN QUESTIONS
  Contribution to Euractiv debate, October 2008
  
  
• BEYOND BLACK & WHITE - THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OF GLOBAL CRISES
  ECPA Briefing, September 2008
  
  
• THE CASE FOR AN EMPTY CHAIR
  Web Site Content, April 2008
  
  
• ECPA BRIEFING: AGENDAS FOR CHANGE
  Web Site Content, March 2008
  
  
• FIRST THINGS LAST THINGS: THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OF PRIORITY
  Website Content, December 2007
  
  
• THE EUROPEAN TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE : A RING CYCLE FOR TODAY?
  Article for EU Reporter, December 2007
  
  
• REVIEW OF "EUROPEAN LOBBYING" BY DANIEL GUEGUEN
  Review for Daniel Gueguen, August 2007
  
  
• THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OF SUNSHINE
  Website Content, August 2007
  
  
• TRANSPARENCY AND THE FOSSIL FUEL LOBBY: A CLIMATE OF CHANGE?
  Article for the EU Reporter, April 2007
  
  
• BIOFUELS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: STATE OF PLAY
  Paper for LUFPIG (The European Parliamen Land Use and Food Policy Inter-Group), November 2006
  
  
• OF ROGUES, BISHOPS AND GOLDEN TOADS
  ECPA Briefing, November 2006
  
  
• THE DEVIL AND COMMISSIONER KALLAS
  Article for the "Public Affairs Magazine" of the Deutsches Institut für Public Affairs, April 2006
  
  
• PRIVACY AND TRANSPARENCY: THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM
  Article for EU Reporter, February 2006
  
  
• HAPPY CHRISTMAS?
  ECPA Briefing, December 2005
  
  
• EUROPE'S AUTUMN?
  ECPA Briefing, September 2005
  
  
• THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OF NON AND THE PEOPLE’S PAUSE
  ECPA Briefing, June 2005
  
  
• BON VOYAGE AMERICA
  Article for EU Reporter, November 2004
  
  
• CELEBRATING THE GOTELIS PROCESS
  Article for EU Reporter, October 2004
  
  
• GOD, SEX AND AMERICA: OR WHY THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN MATTERS AS MUCH AS THE RESULT
  Article for EU Reporter, October 2004
  
  
• THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE TORY
  Article for EU Reporter, October 2004
  
  
• TURKEY OR CANADA? THOUGHTS ON EURABIA, EURUSSIA AND EURMERICA
  Website Text, October 2004
  
  
• KEEPING LOBBYISTS AS PETS: AN OPEN LETTER TO NEW MEPS
  Article for EU Reporter, September 2004
  
  
• OF CHANGE, TRAINING AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS IN EUROPE
  Article for the Journal of Public Affairs, September 2004
  
  
• THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: PUBLIC POLICY, PROCESS AND INSTITUTIONS
  Chapter for Public Affairs Handbook, September 2004
  
  
• WHY WE SHOULD HAVE THE COURAGE TO SAY NO TO TURKEY
  Article for EU Reporter, September 2004
  
  
• THE 'WHAT TO DO ABOUT AMERICA' KNOWLEDGE BANK CONTAINS SOME IDEAS ON CURRENT ISSUES IN FOREIGN POLICY VIS A VIS THE USA.
  May 2003
  
  
• THE MEASUREMENT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS EFFECTIVENESS
  Website Content, August 2004
  
  
• DANCING TO THE MUSIC OF POWER : CHALLENGES FOR LOBBYISTS IN THE NEW EUROPE
  Article for E!Sharp Magazine, August 2004
  
  
• PUBLIC AFFAIRS RESEARCH
  Website Content, June 2004
  
  
• EURO PA?
  Website Content, June 2004
  
  
• THE PEOPLE VERSUS THE "HOGS": A WORTHY THEME FOR JUNE?
  March 2004
  
  
• LEGITIMACY, LEGALITY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
  Article for the Journal of Public Affairs, March 2004
  
  
• THE PERSONALITY OF A PARLIAMENT
  Interview, 'The Parliament' magazine, February 2004
  
  
• THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
  Article for Public Affairs Directory, December 2003
  
  
• PUBLIC AFFAIRS & POWER : ESSAYS IN A TIME OF FEAR
  Extracts and thoughts, November 2003
  
  
• POWER AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
  Article for Journal of Public Affairs, November 2003

• ANTI-AMERICANISM AND BUSINESS - FOUR FLAWED RESPONSES
  Article for GPAI Newsletter, June 25th 2003
  
  
• BEYOND A JOKE
  France and American Europhobia
  Article by Tom Spencer, June 2003
  
  
• FIRMS MAKE FOREIGN POLICY THEIR BUSINESS
  Legitimate, Accountable & Transparent?
  Article for E!Sharp, June 2003
  
  
• HOW EUROPEAN VANITY HELPS WASHINGTON TO DIVIDE & RULE
  Article for European Voice, May 2003 Edition.
  
  
• AFTER IRAQ
  Change, Choice and Paradox
  Article for Journal of Public Affairs, April 2003
  
  
• AFTER RUMSFELD: A WORLD IN SEARCH OF A GAME PLAN
  31st March 2003
  
  ECPA briefing document for the Commission on Globalisation Conference, 'National Sovereignty and Universal Challenges: Choices for the World After Iraq'.
  
  
• TRUTH AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
  Article for Viewpoint in European Voice, November 2002
  
  
• HENRY PLUMB: THE INSTINCTIVE POLITICIAN
  Article for a volume of essays "A Yeoman of England", July 2002
  
  
• TRUTH AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
  Article for Journal of Public Affairs, July 2002
  
  
• OF FIREWORKS, THE SHAMAN AND MACHIAVELLI
  Article for Journal of Public Affairs, March 2002
  
  A practitioner paper jointly written by Tom Spencer and Rinus van Schenedelen exploring the effects of the events of 11 September 2001 on public affairs function.
  
  
• THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM
  Article for the Spectator, February 2002
  
  
• CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS AND THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS
  Submission to the International Development Committee of the House of Commons, 12th December 2001
  
  
• THE STATE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11TH
  Article for Journal of Public Affairs, December 2001
  
  "Public Affairs and the World crisis: What has changed since September 11th?"
  
  
• THE WORLD CRISIS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
  19th September 2001
  
  
• PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND BOUNDARIES
  Article for Journal of Public Affairs, July 2001
  
  A paper jointly written by Tom Spencer and Jon White exploring the relationship between public affairs practice and the boundaries between organisations and external structures.
  
  
• GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY
  Article for Journal of Public Affairs, February 2001
  
  As part of the ECPA's regular contribution to the Journal, Tom Spencer reviews the new fashionability of governace and examines its confused interface with civil society. He invites participation in the ECPA civil society project, reviews some recent relevant literature and appeals for a coherent current bibliography in this politically urgent field.
  
  
• WHERE IS PUBLIC AFFAIRS GOING?
  Article for Journal of Public Affairs, July 2000
  
  This paper suggests the future direction in which public affairs practise is developing and advances a number of propositions about public affairs and political systems which provide the context in which public affairs practicioners operate. The paper examines the changing nature of the political systems in which public affairs functions and argues that, by inference, public affairs practice is culurally specific. The paper explores these contextual issues from both a European and global perspective. The paper argues that an understanding of public affairs should be recognised as an essential element on management teaching syllabi and laments the fact that this is far from the case.
  
  
• THE POLITICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
  Article for The Ecologist, 25 January 1999.
  
  
• THE GREAT ENLARGEMENT ELEPHANT
  9th March 1998
  
  From article in The House Magazine, Community View
  
  
• THE ACCEPTANCE OF AMSTERDAM
  Article for The House Magazine, 6th June 1997.
  
  
• ENLARGEMENT: A PARLIAMENTARY PRACTITIONER'S PERSPECTIVE
  Article for European Business Journal, 1997
  
  
• EUROPE WHOLE AND FREE: TWELVE ASSERTIONS FOR DECISION-MAKERS
  Briefing note for Parliamentary Colleagues, written in Cairo, 2nd February 1990.