Occasional Paper #22:OP:3

by Robert Johansen

Johansen argues that an e-Parliament would be a major step toward more democratic global governance and accountability for powerful interests and actors throughout the world. For the first time, it is possible to create a parliamentary forum, held primarily on the Internet, for the world's democratically-elected legislators to engage each other and members of civil society. The e-Parliament would assist governments and citizens in seeking more effective ways of addressing global problems, such as limiting weapons of mass destruction, discouraging terrorism, ending hunger, and protecting the environment. The e-Parliament would thus address four underlying global problems: a democratic deficit in global decisionmaking, an action deficit in international institutions, a resource deficit in meeting human needs, and a vision deficit in nurturing a sense of human solidarity.

Robert Johansen is Professor of Political Science and Director of Graduate Studies and Senior Fellow at the Kroc Institute.

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