States and citizens in a context of Globalization

This lecture maps a variety of mechanisms and dynamics that can be seen as part of an architecture for democratic participation by state institutions and citizens in global governance.

Crucial to the analysis is the notion that the global is multi-scalar: it does not only take place at the self-evident global scale, but also at the national and subnational scales. Three partly interrelated domains are identified to explore these questions:

• the state, focussing on the ways in which the state actually participates in governing the global economy
• the multilateral governance system
• citizens' participation in cross-border activism

The paper broadly maps the current political condition and suggests what could be done with current resources to achieve a greater level of equity, social justice and public accountability in a context of economic and political globalisation. The content and implications of state participation in setting up the legal and technical infrastructure for economic globalisation are first presented. A brief examination of structural adjustment programs and debt is then given, the paper suggests one area to look at is the results of the combination of state participation and multilateral governance. The need for specialised multilateralisms, followed by the participation by resource-poor individuals and organisations in emergent forms of global politics are then examined.