National governments are proving ill-equipped to manage an increasingly complicated portfolio of global problems. In The Coming Democracy, political analyst Ann Florini sets forth a compelling new paradigm for transnational governance. It is based on the concept of "transparency," the idea that the free flow of information -on topics ranging from corporate and government behavior to nuclear proliferation to biodiversity protection -provides powerful ways to hold decisionmakers accountable and to give ordinary people meaningful voice in shaping the policies that affect them. Thanks to dramatic breakthroughs in information technology over the past decade, such transparency is now possible on a global scale. Florini offers a clear and comprehensive assessment of the possibilities for using transparency to develop effective approaches to transnational governance. She shows how this new form of governance offers real hope for managing global problems, and provides a compelling scenario that demonstrates how existing conventions and institutions can lead the way in the evolution of a better system of global governance.
Ann Florini is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, where she directs the project on New Approaches to Global Governance. She is also project director of the World Economic Forum's Global Governance Initiative, and she co-chairs the International Task Force on Transparency. Her previous books include The Third Force: The Rise of Transnational Civil Society (CEIP / JCIE, 2000).
"A terrifically important book." --Thomas Homer-Dixon, author of THE INGENUITY GAP "A beautifully written, highly accessible, authoritative explanation of how the world is changing and what we can do about those changes." --Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate and author of GLOBALIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS
"THE COMING DEMOCRACY will stimulate debate about its argument, and presents an inspiring message for those who seek to promote progressive change." -Robert O. Keohane, Duke University |"A lively and sophisticated glimpse at the coming battle over global governance." - Foreign Affairs |"THE COMING DEMOCRACY offers a blueprint master plan for expalnding democracy on a global level." - Library Bookwatch, 8/1/2005 |"A terrifically important book." -Thomas Homer-Dixon, author of THE INGENUITY GAP |"A beautifully written, highly accessible, authoritative explanation of how the world is changing and what we can do about those changes." -Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate and author of GLOBALIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS
