Accountability and Opposition to Globalization in International Assemblies

Abstract

Advocates of a global democratic parliament have expressed hopes that this would not only legitimize global governance in procedural terms, but also bring about more cosmopolitan policies. They point to the European Parliament (EP) as an example of a successful real existing democratic parliament beyond the state with cosmopolitan intent. We analyze plenary debates in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the EP about the issues of climate change, human rights, migration, trade and European integration between 2004 and 2011 to study the nature of opposition to cosmopolitanism within these two assemblies. We find more vocal and better organized opposition to cosmopolitanism in the EP than in the UNGA. We demonstrate the plausibility that direct and more proportional mechanisms of delegation and accountability in the case of the EP account for this observed difference. Should further research confirm these initial findings, advocates of a global democratic parliament may find that an empowered democratic World Parliament would support less cosmopolitan policies than the current UNGA.