1. Can
globalization
be
democratic?
Journal
entry
17/09/2010
Steven
Lauwers
A
question
that
I
could
not
answer
for
myself
when
going
through
this
week’s
readings
is
how
globalization
is,
or
can
be,
governed.
Prof.
Dr.
H.
Anheier
ended
his
lecture
with
the
remark
that,
because
of
design
problems,
globalization
might
not
be
manageable
as
the
phenomenon
of
globalization
goes
beyond
the
forces
that
are
in
place
to
control
it.
But
what
forces
control
it
and
more
importantly,
who
“governs”
these
forces?
Robert
O.
Keohane
and
Joseph
S.
Nye
dismiss
the
idea
of
global
democracy
as
infeasible:
a
simple
definition
of
democracy
is
a
majority
rule,
but
the
critical
question
in
view
of
global
governance
is:
who
are
“we
the
people?”1
They
classify
global
governance
procedures
in
three
broad
categories:
intergovernmental
and
transgovernmental
governance
and
popular
politics.
If
we
look
at
Intergovernmental
Organizations,
they
derive
their
legitimacy
from
the
fact
that
they
are
given
authority
by
governments,
which
in
turn
were
chosen
through
national
electorates.2
So,
in
that
regard,
they
are
international
institutions
built
on
the
democratic
principle.
But
does
that
mean
that
these
institutions
strive
to
obtain
results
that
are
democratic
for
everybody
that
is
involved
–
or
only
those
that
are
beneficial
for
the
members
of
the
organization?
Joseph
Stiglitz
calls
this
particular
situation
“global
governance
without
global
government”:
key
regimes,
“clubs”
as
Robert
O.
Keohane
and
Joseph
S.
Nye
call
them,
“provide
an
ad
hoc
system
of
global
governance,
but
it
is
a
far
cry
from
global
government
and
lacks
democratic
accountability”.
3
In
his
text,
he
focuses
on
the
International
Monetary
Fund
(IMF)
as
a
key
player
in
globalization.
When
the
IMF
pushed
trade
liberalization,
based
on
their
“superior
knowledge”,
the
international
arena
gave
disproportionate
weight
to
voices
from
the
financial
community
by
accepting
and
implementing
the
rules
that
IMF
set.
One
could
conclude
from
his
text
that
globalization
is
driven,
and
thus
determined,
by
the
global
market.
Or
more
specifically
by
the
elite
“club”
that
is
the
IMF.
Is
it
right
for
the
rich
countries
to
assume
they
are
“the
invisible
hand”
that
molds
–
via
the
IMF
–
the
global
market
economy?
1
Keohane,
Robert
O.
and
Nye
Joseph
S.,
2002,
Governance
in
a
Globalizing
World,
p.
23
2
Keohane,
Robert
O.
and
Nye
Joseph
S.,
2002,
idem;
p.
9
3
Stiglitz,
J.,
2004,
Globalism’s
Discontents,
p.
5

2.
There
is
no
denying
that
governments
and
global
governance
are
intertwined.4
The
question
is
then
how
governments
can
influence
globalization
in
a
way
that
it
becomes
more
democratic;
but
also
if
they
want
to
make
global
governance
truly
democratic,
as
it
would
mean
looking
past
their
own
interests.
How
can
globalization
benefit
all
that
are
part
of
it,
when
the
idea
that
drives
it
is
personal
benefit?
4
Keohane,
Robert
O.
and
Nye
Joseph
S.,
2002,
idem;
xx