Democracy Beyond Borders: Justice and Representation in Global Institutions

ISBN-13: 9780199291656 / Angielski / Miękka / 2006 / 240 str.

Andrew Kuper

Opis

Global institutions exercise unprecedented power, yet they are often unaccountable to the people they claim to serve. From the hallowed halls of the United Nations to the closed boardrooms of multinational corporations, decisions are made that impact on all our lives, but are not necessarily governed by democratic principles. How can we ensure that global leaders act responsively and effectively in the interests of global citizens? How can global institutions be transformed to create security and development for all? In this lucid and provocative book, Andrew Kuper provides compelling and practical answers.
Democracy Beyond Borders begins with a reassessment of the basic philosophical foundations of global order. In a critical dialogue with John Rawls and Jurgen Habermas, the world's most influential political philosophers, Kuper exposes the flawed assumption that nation-states should be the only fundamental political units. He develops instead a theory of global justice that also harnesses the capabilities of non-state actors--such as corporations, non-governmental organizations, and civil society networks. The book shows how these powerful actors can be brought into "multi-level governance" with states as key partners for change.
Yet in the absence of global elections, how can these actors be made accountable for their policies and actions? Kuper presents a startling and original theory of representation to answer this challenge. He articulates a new separation of powers, where different global actors check and balance one another in a complex harmony. This radical yet feasible vision makes it possible to recommend far-reaching reforms to the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, and advocacy agencies such as Transparency International, among others.
Impressive in its scope and inventiveness, Democracy Beyond Borders stands at the forefront of a new generation of political thought, for which globalization is the challenge and deepening democracy the solution.

Recenzje

In this ambitious first work, Andrew Kuper employs the range and rigor of political philosophy to rethink its traditional concepts and aspirations for the politics of the 21st century. He concretely envisions new institutional forms that would enhance the expertise and political influence at citizens' disposal. In multiple ways, these innovations would make power more responsive to those over whom it is exercised. Kuper provides learned and usable political guidance to those who can affect the emerging institutional structures of our globalizing world.

O autorze

Dr. Andrew Kuper is a Managing Director at Ashoka, which supports social entrepreneurs in over 50 countries (www.ashoka.org). Previously, he directed democracy promotion efforts at the Carnegie Council in New York. He has also been a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge University, and a visiting scholar at Harvard and Columbia Universities. Born and raised in South Africa, he now lives in Washington DC.