(Download) "Introduction (Symposium ON GLOBAL DEMOCRACY)" by Ethics & International Affairs * Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Introduction (Symposium ON GLOBAL DEMOCRACY)
- Author : Ethics & International Affairs
- Release Date : January 22, 2010
- Genre: Politics & Current Events,Books,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 243 KB
Description
A "democratic" deficit" in global politics is now widely recognized, yet there is still little agreement as to how this problem can feasibly be remedied. Established theoretical proposals for the construction of "cosmopolitan democracy" (1) are commonly criticized for providing underspecified institutional proposals and for lacking pragmatic recognition of real-world institutional constraints. In lieu of satisfactory responses to these criticisms, some international political analysts have made the case that global democracy is a utopian vision and should be abandoned in favor of more modest liberal internationalist reform agendas centered on accountability. (2) Thus, if the agenda of global democratization is to advance beyond the current point, it is necessary to confront the practical challenge of institutional design: How might ideals of global democracy be put effectively into practice given the many constraints imposed by the existing global political order? One key challenge confronting a design project of this kind is that many of the institutions fundamental to state-based democracies--such as centralized "sovereign" agencies of public power, territorial constituencies, inclusive public deliberation, and electoral representation--would be extremely difficult to implement on a global scale. Despite some partially successful examples at the regional level, such as the European Union, such comprehensive projects seem unlikely to be viable at the global level, at least in the near to medium term. In order to devise a workable institutional framework for global democracy, it is therefore necessary to consider how the key institutional dimensions of a democratic system could be adapted to the prevailing global sociopolitical environment.