Building Global Democracy? The Rise (and Fall) of Democratic Legitimation in Global Governance
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2018-02-05
Author(s)
Abstract
ABSTRACT: In this paper, I compare and reflect upon the role democratic norms have come to play in the legitimation of global governance institutions.
Descriptively, I argue that democratic norms have been on the rise. Yet the dynamics that have given rise to democratic norms as well as the roles these norms have come to play differ significantly across these two realms of global governance.
While the democratic narrative has steadily gained centrality in the justification of intergovernmental organizations and their activities, it has initially been strong in transnational governance, as well, but receded to the background in recent years.
In the second part of the paper, I draw on contemporary social theory to reflect upon the context-sensitive rise (and fall) of a democratic legitimation narrative in global governance. I argue that the rise of democratic legitimation norms we can observe is episodic rather than linear, precarious rather than stable and Reformist rather than radical. In normative terms, then, the ‘social order of justification’ to which the norm changes I sketch in this contribution gives rise oscillates somewhat uncomfortably between democratic potential and post-democratic practice.
Descriptively, I argue that democratic norms have been on the rise. Yet the dynamics that have given rise to democratic norms as well as the roles these norms have come to play differ significantly across these two realms of global governance.
While the democratic narrative has steadily gained centrality in the justification of intergovernmental organizations and their activities, it has initially been strong in transnational governance, as well, but receded to the background in recent years.
In the second part of the paper, I draw on contemporary social theory to reflect upon the context-sensitive rise (and fall) of a democratic legitimation narrative in global governance. I argue that the rise of democratic legitimation norms we can observe is episodic rather than linear, precarious rather than stable and Reformist rather than radical. In normative terms, then, the ‘social order of justification’ to which the norm changes I sketch in this contribution gives rise oscillates somewhat uncomfortably between democratic potential and post-democratic practice.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Event Title
Annual Conference of the Swiss Political Science Association (SVPW) 2018
Event Location
Genf
Event Date
05. - 06. Februar 2018
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
255936
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Dingwerth_Rise and Fall of Democratic Legitimation_Geneva_2018.pdf
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