Re: [icann-eu] CALL FOR PAPERS: Global Democracy and the ICANN Elections

[Hans Klein <hans.klein@pubpolicy.gatech.edu>]

That paragraph was not meant as a personal observation, and certainly not
as a US comment on the EU.  Alexander got the sense of it right when he
noted: 

>there is an extensive debate about EU legitimacy
>deficits -- there are literally volumes of research.

As I have done literature reviews on the question of legitimacy of
international institutions, I have found (somewhat to my surprise) that
most of the writings focus on the EU.  Hence my comment!

(The academic and policy worlds don't always mix well!)

Cheers
Hans




At 03:26 PM 3/27/01 +0200, Alexander Svensson wrote:
>
>Hi Roberto,
>
>Roberto Gaetano wrote on 27.03.01, 13:51:06,
>quoting Hans Klein:
>>>.....  Although
>>>many observers acknowledge that regional and global institutions like the
>>>World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the European
>>>Union make values-based decisions affecting the lives of people around the
>>>world, there is considerable disagreement about how to render those
>>>institutions and their decisions more legitimate.
>>
>> I beg your pardon?
>>
>> Can you point me to any source of the "considerable disagreement about how
>> to render [the European Union] and [its] decisions more legitimate"?
>
>There is certainly nothing anti-European in finding
>that there is an extensive debate about EU legitimacy
>deficits -- there are literally volumes of research.
>Even the Commission admits on its web site that there
>is an "imbalance between the existing state-based 
>legitimacy and the democratic legitimacy which the public 
>expects". 
>
>> Maybe you would like to spend a couple of words instead on the
legitimity of
>> US Government to take decisions that affect the Internet users worldwide!
>
>That's where we agree again. The EP statement (thanks
>for the pointer, Vittorio!) was clear on this. 
>
>Best regards,
>/// Alexander 
>
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