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Strengthening the citizens' role in international organizations

Frey, Bruno ; Stutzer, Alois

In: The Review of International Organizations, 2006, vol. 1, no. 1, p. 27-43

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    Titre
    • Strengthening the citizens' role in international organizations
    Auteur
    • Frey, Bruno. Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, University of Zurich, Bluemlisalpstrasse 10, CH-8006, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Stutzer, Alois. Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, University of Zurich, Bluemlisalpstrasse 10, CH-8006, Zurich, Switzerland
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Anglais
    Publié dans
    • The Review of International Organizations, 2006, vol. 1, no. 1, p. 27-43. Kluwer Academic Publishers
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:315651
    Summary
    Today's international organizations are characterized by a fundamental deficit in democracy. We therefore propose institutional measures to increase the direct participation possibilities of the citizens in international organizations. In order to reduce the number of citizens involved in decision-making to a manageable size, a representative sample of trustees is selected using a random mechanism. The trustees are given the right to launch initiatives and to vote in referendums on issues related to an international organization's constitution. They can also recall executives when they are dissatisfied with their behavior. No specific changes to the organization of these entities, especially their executive function, are proposed. Rather, the executives of international organizations must obey the constitutional changes adopted by the trustees. The proposal gives international organizations democratic legitimacy. Moreover, the executives are subjected to the control of the citizens of the member states, which induces better responsiveness to the preferences of the people, as well as higher organizational efficiency