Table of Contents

Introduction 1. World Government is Here PART I: WHO RULES 2. Network Goods are Served by Simple Bureaus 3. Unanimity Rule Failed to Make the World More Secure 4. A Great-Powers' Directorate Has Averted the Third World War 5. Weights and Coalitions for Finance and Development 6. Equal Vote Does Not Favor Global Trade 7. The World's Self-Appointed Steering Committee PART II: HOW THEY RULE 8. Domestic Politics Doesn't Make Policy 9. Global Representation Requires Rotation of Countries 10. Effective Decisions are Made by Means of Weighted Votes 11. Expert Rulers Replace Politicians and Diplomats 12. Policy Consensus is Built With More Ideas than Votes 13. Non-Electoral Accountability is Based On Performance and Values 14. Can Global Democracy Exist

Promotional Information

"What is democracy if national governments must bow to specialized global agencies? Colomer superbly demonstrates that we already face faceless dispersed regulation that is even stronger than a unified 'world government' would be. And he offers intriguing insights into what this means for the world's democratic institutions." (Rein Taagepera, Professor of Political Science, University of California - Irvine, USA) "In this thoughtful and thought-provoking book, Josep Colomer demonstrates that effective institutions of global governance exist. A single world government is neither possible nor desirable. But it is also unnecessary. Instead, a number of effective institutions already carry out essential functions of world governance. Moreover, in spite of worries about "democratic deficits", those institutions are able to meet the essential requirements of an effective democracy: representation, competence, consensus, and accountability." (Martin Wolf, Chief economics commentator at the Financial Times)

About the Author

Josep M. Colomer is Research Professor in Political Economy at Georgetown University, USA. Colomer is a life member of the American Political Science Association and a member by election of the Academy of Europe.