Civil Society Participation in European and Global Governance
Subtitle: A Cure for the Democratic Deficit? (Transformations of the State)
Contributors: Jens Steffek (Editor); Claudia Kissling (Editor); Patrizia Nanz (Editor)
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: March 4, 2008
Language: eng; jpn
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 256
ISBN-13: 9780230006393
Subjects: Elections & referenda; Political structures: democracy; Political Science; Politics / Current Events; Politics/International Relations; Europe; Government - Comparative; Political Ideologies - Democracy; Political Science / Foreign Legal Systems; Civil society; European Union countries; International organization; Political participation
Description: "In comparison to the democratic nation state, the institutions of European and global governance clearly suffer from a democratic deficit. Many have argued that the increased participation of civil society in international governance may be a cure for this democratic deficit, and the collection investigates whether this argument is supported by empirical evidence. Ten original essays use comparative research to analyse current patterns of civil society consultation in thirty-two intergovernmental organizations and regimes, including the European Union. In particular, chapters examine problems of access, transparency, responsiveness, and inclusion. The study concludes that civil society consultation holds much promise for rectifying the democratic deficit but most institutional arrangements in their current form fall short of realizing their democratizing potential."--BOOK JACKET.