Who Elected Oxfam?: A Democratic Defence of Self-Appointed Representatives (PDF)

Synopsis

Non-elected actors, such as non-governmental organizations and celebrity activists, present themselves as representatives of others to audiences of decision-makers, such as state leaders, the European Union, the United Nations, and the World Trade Organization. These actors are increasingly included in the deliberation and decision-making processes of such institutions. To take one well-known example, the non-governmental organization Oxfam presses decision-makers and governments for fair trade rules on behalf of the world’s poor. What entitles such “self-appointed representatives” to speak and act for the poor? As The Economist asked, “Who elected Oxfam?” Montanaro claims that such actors can, and should, be conceptualized as representatives and that they can – though do not always – represent others in a manner that we can recognize as democratic. However, in order to do so, we must stretch our imaginations beyond the standard normative framework of elections.

Copyright:

2018

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

ISBN-13:

9781108419369

Publisher:

University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations

Date of Addition:

07/15/19

Copyrighted By:

Laura Montanaro

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Business and Finance, Philosophy, Politics and Government

Submitted By:

Debbie Morton

Proofread By:

N/A

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.