Democracy beyond the Nation State? Transnational Actors and Global Governance
In: Statsvetenskaplig tidskrift, Band 110, Heft 1, S. 83-97
ISSN: 0039-0747
The post-World War II era has seen the rise of international organizations such as the UN, NATO, and the World Bank. Coinciding with this, there has been accompanying trend toward global governance -- i.e., the coordination of multiple interdependent actors, minus a central authority, in the formulation, implementation, monitoring, enforcement and review of rules and regulatory institutions. While global governance proponents defend such arrangements as necessary to address problems and produce for states and societies benefits that would not come about through other means, concern has been voiced regarding the fact that decisions previously made at the national level have shifted to the international level. Decision-makers involved in global governance frequently consist of state officials and international bureaucrats, with limited participation by civil society actors. The authors attempt to address the question of whether global governances can or should be democratized. Citing protests held during meetings of the World Trade Organization, G7, and the European Union, they take up the matter of how to balance the concerns of civil society elements who feel excluded from the global governance decision process with concerns over the effectiveness of global governance in achieving its purported goals. Democratization processes (or their absence) are analyzed for five key organizations that, between them, represent such fields as health, economic development, and the environment. Adapted from the source document.