Cosmocracy
Centre for the Study of Democracy
September 2002
Who does the governing in today’s world? Through which institutions do they govern, in the sense that their decisions structure and confine the fields of judgement and action of actors within global civil society, even forcing them – through law, diplomacy, sanctions, violence – to do things that otherwise they would not do? Can governing institutions in this sense be given a name? How do they compare to previous typologies of government? In whose interests do these institutions operate? What key decisions do they make, where are they made, and who makes them? In short, through which administrative, legal, military/police and other structures do some people determine how others get what, when and how at the global level? How much authority do these institutions enjoy within their respective domains? To what extent are they perceived as legitimate? Could they become (more) publicly accountable – even more democratic in the eyes of the constituents of a global civil society? If so, how?