Civil Society Participation in European and Global Governance - A Cure for the Democratic Deficit?

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 this collection investigates whether this argument is supported by empirical evidence. Ten original essays use comparative research to analyze 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 that most institutional arrangements in their current form fall short of realizing their democratizing potential.

PART I: OVERVIEW Emergent Patterns of Civil Society Participation in Global and European Governance; J.Steffek & P.Nanz The Evolution of CSOs' Legal Status in International Governance and its Relevance for the Legitimacy of International Organizations; C.Kissling PART II: ORGANIZED CIVIL SOCIETY AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE Civil Society Participation Under Most Favourable Conditions: Assessing the Deliberative Quality of the World Summit on the Information Society; C.Dany The ILO, Tripartism, and NGOs - Do Too Many Cooks Really Spoil the Broth?; L.Thomann Civil Society Participation at the Margins: The Case of WTO; J.Steffek & U.Ehling Civil Society Participation in International Security Organizations: The Cases of NATO and OSCE; P.Mayer PART III: ORGANIZED CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE EU Democratic Aspiration Meets Political Reality: Participation of Organized Civil Society in Selected European Policy Processes; D.Friedrich Participatory Strategies in the Regulation of GMO Products in the EU; M. P.Ferretti Assessing the Legitimacy of European Regional Policy: The Interplay of Civil Society and State Actors in Sweden and Germany; J.Kamlage PART IV: CONCLUSION CSOs and the Democratization of International Governance: Prospects and Problems; C.Kissling, P.Nanz & J.Steffek