It is often argued that the enhanced consultation of civil society contributes to the democratization of European and global governance. This collection investigates whether this theoretical argument is supported by empirical evidence. Ten original essays analyze current patterns of civil society consultation in 32 intergovernmental organizations.

PART I: OVERVIEW Emergent Patterns of Civil Society Participation in Global and European Governance; J.Steffek & P.Nanz The Evolution of CSOs' Legal Status in International Governance and its Relevance for the Legitimacy of International Organizations; C.Kissling PART II: ORGANIZED CIVIL SOCIETY AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE Civil Society Participation Under Most Favourable Conditions: Assessing the Deliberative Quality of the World Summit on the Information Society; C.Dany The ILO, Tripartism, and NGOs - Do Too Many Cooks Really Spoil the Broth?; L.Thomann Civil Society Participation at the Margins: The Case of WTO; J.Steffek & U.Ehling Civil Society Participation in International Security Organizations: The Cases of NATO and OSCE; P.Mayer PART III: ORGANIZED CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE EU Democratic Aspiration Meets Political Reality: Participation of Organized Civil Society in Selected European Policy Processes; D.Friedrich Participatory Strategies in the Regulation of GMO Products in the EU; M. P.Ferretti Assessing the Legitimacy of European Regional Policy: The Interplay of Civil Society and State Actors in Sweden and Germany; J.Kamlage PART IV: CONCLUSION CSOs and the Democratization of International Governance: Prospects and Problems; C.Kissling, P.Nanz & J.Steffek

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