Can International Organisations Be Democratic? A Reassessment

Abstract

This article makes the case for viewing international organisations (IOs) as global polyarchies. Our argument is twofold: on a theoretical level, IOs often meet the criterion of philosophical coherence, as they are based on rules of membership and decision-making that are compatible with those found in democratic institutions. On a practical level, we believe the concerns of IOs about pluralism, inclusiveness and efficacy go far beyond rhetoric, and may decisively influence their activities as well as their outcomes. To this end, the first section explores Robert Dahl’s concept of polyarchy and applies this to global institutions. In the subsequent sections, we advance our empirical argument with the UN as a case study. We reach three main conclusions. The first is that, at the bureaucratic level, the UN Secretariat performs some typically democratic functions, such as multilateral representation and the constitution of international regimes, which turns it into an important channel for feasible democracy in international politics. Second, at the multilateral level, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) represents a specific kind of representative polyarchy by allowing the greatest possible number of countries to have an equal say in global affairs. And third, it also serves as a gateway for multilevelled international representation by including a diversity of non-state actors in what has been called the ‘Third United Nations.’

Peculiarities, Models and Problems of Interaction of International Non-Governmental Organisations With Other International Actors in Ensuring Peace and Security

“…Pamela Aall (Aall, 1996: 433-461) singles out the functions that characterise INGOs in resolving international conflicts: prevention (early prevention of armed conflict); monitoring (ensuring respect for human rights); reconciliation (activities aimed at resolving the conflict and reconciling the warring parties); rehabilitation (establishing relations at the end of active armed conflict). Works (Dawisson Belеm and Casarоes, 2019;Koehler, 2015, Dorosh, Ivasechko, 2018 devoted to the functioning and the specifics of the UN development at the present stage are worth mentioning. Several scholars and analysts are trying to find the best mechanisms for international cooperation within the UN, offering options for its reform.…”

EU’s Democractic Conditionality: Democratic Principles and Procedures?

“…Thus, some relevant works use the concept of polyarchy to analyse and substantiate the argument of the European Union's democratic deficit (Follesdal and Hix 2006) or to characterize its institutional arrangement (Lijphart 2003: 47). Besides, recent studies (Lopes 2016;Lopes and Casarões 2019) use polyarchic democracy to analyse the institutional structure of global intergovernmental organizations, exemplifying that the concept is suitable for different political processes within the scope of the nation-state or not.…”