Civil Society and Democratically Accountable Global Governance

• Published in: Government and opposition (London) Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 211 - 233
• Main Author: Scholte, Jan Aart
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01-04-2004; Blackwell Publishing; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Accountability; Civil Society; Corporate governance; Democracy; Democratic authority; Globalization; Governance; Government; Government relations; International cooperation; International governance; International Organizations; Mass media; NGOs; Non-governmental organizations; Nongovernmental Organizations; Organizations; Political science; Society; Transnationalism; World Bank
• ISSN: 0017-257X; 1477-7053
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1477-7053.2004.00121.x

This article explores the ways and extents that civil society associations can bring greater public accountability to global governance. The analysis first reviews the growth of civil society engagement of global governance. Second, the article elaborates four general ways that civil society associations have promoted increased accountability in global governance: by increasing the public transparency of global governance operations; by monitoring and reviewing global policies; by seeking redress for mistakes and harms attributable to global regulatory bodies; and by advancing the creation of formal accountability mechanisms for global governance. Third, the article identifies six broad circumstances that have affected (and often limited) the extent of civil society achievements with respect to accountability in global governance.