Democracy Is Democracy Is Democracy? Changes in Evaluations of International Institutions in Academic Textbooks, 1970–2010

Democracy Is Democracy Is Democracy? Changes in Evaluations of International Institutions in Academic Textbooks, 1970–2010

This article examines what democracy means when it is used in academic textbook evaluations of international institutions and how the meaning of the term "democracy" in such evaluations has changed over time. An analysis of 71 textbooks on international institutions in the policy areas of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International studies perspectives Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 173 - 189
Main Authors: Dingwerth, Klaus, Lehmann, Ina, Reichel, Ellen, Weise, Tobias
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Boston, USA and Oxford, UK Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01-05-2015
Blackwell Publishers, Inc
Oxford University Press
Subjects:
Accountability
Democracy
Evaluating IR Textbooks
Human Rights
Institutions
International education
International Organizations
International Security
Participation
Policy Making
Textbooks
teaching
International Relations textbooks
norms
democracy
international institutions
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Summary:This article examines what democracy means when it is used in academic textbook evaluations of international institutions and how the meaning of the term "democracy" in such evaluations has changed over time. An analysis of 71 textbooks on international institutions in the policy areas of international security, environmental, and human rights politics leads us to several answers. We observe slight changes in relation to three aspects. First, the range of democracy-relevant actors expands over time, most notably in relation to nonstate actors as important participants in (or even subjects of) international policymaking. Second, representational concerns become more relevant in justifying demands for greater participation in international institutions. Third, international organizations are increasingly discussed not only as subjects that enhance the transparency and accountability of the policies of their member states, but also as the objects of democratic demands for transparency and accountability themselves.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:1528-3577
1528-3585
DOI:10.1111/insp.12069