Accountability of Nongovernmental Organizations (Ngos) in Global Governance

Steve Charnovitz, Accountability of Non-Governmental Organizations in NGO Accountability: Politics, Principles and Innovations (Lisa Jordan & Peter van Tuijl ed., Earthscan 2006)

GWU Legal Studies Research Paper No. 145

GWU Law School Public Law Research Paper No. 145

40 Pages Posted: 4 May 2005 Last revised: 11 Apr 2013

See all articles by Steve Charnovitz

Steve Charnovitz

George Washington University - Law School

Date Written: April 1, 2005

Abstract

The issue of the accountability on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in global governance has received increased attention in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the issue, to consider whether any public problems exist, and to make recommendations on what should be done. The paper contains three parts. Part I examines the historical context of NGO accountability starting with the Papal Encylical Rerum Novarum of 1891 and considering episodes relating to the League of Nations and the founding of the United Nations. Part II provides an overview of the contemporary debate on NGO accountability and uses a recent article by Robert Keohane and Ruth Grant as a point of entry. Part III offers my own framework for how to think about the challenge of NGO accountability and suggests that more attention be given to the individual as the unit of analysis. The paper makes recommendations for what should be done to improve NGO accountability and more importantly what should not be done. This paper was prepared for a conference at New York University Law School in April 2005 on the emerging field of global administrative law (GAL).

Keywords: nongovernmental organizations, NGO, civil society, global governance, legitimacy, democratic theory, global administrative law

JEL Classification: K23, K33, D73, F02

Suggested Citation

Charnovitz, Steve, Accountability of Nongovernmental Organizations (Ngos) in Global Governance (April 1, 2005). Steve Charnovitz, Accountability of Non-Governmental Organizations in NGO Accountability: Politics, Principles and Innovations (Lisa Jordan & Peter van Tuijl ed., Earthscan 2006), GWU Legal Studies Research Paper No. 145, GWU Law School Public Law Research Paper No. 145, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=716381 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.716381

Steve Charnovitz (Contact Author)

George Washington University - Law School ( email )

2000 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20052
United States

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