Synopses & Reviews
The scale, effectiveness and legitimacy of global governance lag far behind the world's needs. This path-breaking book examines how far civil society involvement provides an answer to these problems. Does civil society make global governance more democratic? Have citizen action groups raised the accountability of global bodies that deal with challenges such as climate change, financial crises, conflict, disease and inequality? What circumstances have promoted (or blocked) civil society efforts to make global governance institutions more democratically accountable? What could improve these outcomes in the future? The authors base their argument on studies of thirteen global institutions, including the UN, G8, WTO, ICANN and IMF. Specialists from around the world critically assess what has and has not worked in efforts to make global bodies answer to publics as well as states. Combining intellectual depth and political relevance, Building Global Democracy? will appeal to students, researchers, activists and policymakers.
Review
Advance praise: 'That the relationship between institutions of global governance and civil society organisations is complex is well known; just how complex is clearly and elegantly brought out by the contributions to this marvellous volume.' Neera Chandhoke, University of Delhi
Review
Advance praise: 'Today more than ever, an uncertain world needs accountable global governance, which in turn depends on a healthy civil society. Anyone who seeks better ways towards global democracy should read this book.' Yu Keping, China Center for Comparative Politics and Economics, Beijing
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Advance praise: 'In a time when multiple global crises confront us with a 'perfect storm', this book opens ways to bring citizens to the heart of building global solutions.' Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International
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Advance praise: 'A unique volume that offers real insights into the ways and to what extents citizen action groups can further the accountability of global regulatory organisations.' Diana Tussie, Professor of International Relations, FLACSO, Argentina
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Advance praise: 'The Arab region suffers from weak democracy in global institutions and finds that government-led diplomacy is unable to change that fact. Civil society should have a place to better this situation, and this book proves this reality and shows how CSOs could do so.' Ziad Abdel Samad, Executive Director, the Arab NGO Network for Development. (www.annd.org)
Review
Advance praise: 'Jan Aart Scholte has assembled an outstanding group from diverse corners of the world to interrogate and elaborate the notion of global democracy. The result is a book that will appeal to diverse audiences interested in how to move beyond the stalemate of contemporary geopolitics, marked by such little progress on trade rules, financial market reform and climate change.' David Held, Graham Wallas Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics.
Synopsis
Explores the ways in which the activities of civil society can make global governance more democratic.
Synopsis
Building Global Democracy? shows how citizen groups can make global governance more democratic. Combining intellectual depth with political relevance, and providing thirteen revealing and practical case studies, this compelling and accessibly written work will appeal to students, researchers, activists and policymakers.
Synopsis
Global challenges such as poverty, climate change, and economic crises are all problems that the global community must face collectively. But in order to do so successfully, we need to engage in a continued intercultural dialogue on alternative approaches to development that are ethically justifiable, politically acceptable, and ecologically sustainable. To this end, the Institute for Social and Development Studies at the Munich School of Philosophy in cooperation with MISEREOR, the German Catholic Bishops’ Organization for Development Cooperation, invited scholars from across the world to define and explore an overarching goal: the global common good. This book represents the product of their efforts; in it, contributors investigate normative ideals, analyze obstacles that prevent the realization of these ideals, and propose paths for global transformation.
About the Author
Michael Reder holds the chair in practical philosophy at the Munich School of Philosophy.Verena Risse is a research associate in the Institute for Social and Development Studies at the Munich School of Philosophy.Katharina Hirschbrunn is a research associate in the Institute for Social and Development Studies at the Munich School of Philosophy.Georg Stoll is a senior advisor in the Department of Policy and Global Challenges at MISEREOR, the German Catholic Bishops’ Organization for Development Cooperation.
Table of Contents
Introduction Jan Aart Scholte; 1. Global governance, accountability and civil society Jan Aart Scholte; 2. Civil society and accountability of the United Nations Kerstin Martens; 3. The World Bank and democratic accountability: the role of civil society Alnoor Ebrahim and Steven Herz; 4. Civil society and IMF accountability Jan Aart Scholte; 5. Civil society and the WTO: contesting accountability Marc Williams; 6. Civil society and accountability in the Commonwealth Timothy M. Shaw and Pamela K. Mbabazi; 7. The organisation of the Islamic conference, accountability and civil society Saied Reza Ameli; 8. Civil society and patterns of accountability in the OECD Morten Ougaard; 9. Civil society and G8 accountability Peter I. Hajnal; 10. Structuring accountability: civil society and the Asia-Europe meeting Julie Gilson; 11. Civil society and accountability in the global governance of climate change Peter Newell; 12. Civil society and accountability promotion in the global fund Carolyn Long and Nata Duvvury; 13. Accountability in private global governance: ICANN and civil society Mawaki Chango; 14. Civil society and the World Fair Trade Organisation: developing responsive accountability Heidi Ullrich; Conclusion Jan Aart Scholte.