Wissenschaftliche Einrichtungen. WZB Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung
Abstract
In recent years a new type of political actor has become increasingly important—
cosmopolitan individuals acting transnationally in support of the rights and well-being
of their “fellow citizens of the world.” The emerging transnational political awareness
of private individuals might be seen as a consequence of the poor performance of
global governance by international organizations which have been unable to find
convincing solutions to global inequality. In response to this failure, individuals like
Bono, Al Gore, Muhammad Yunus and Bill Gates mobilize their specific resources,
namely, publicity, ideas, and money, to find solutions to international societal problems.
These actors often function directly as “change-makers,” bypassing existing
institutional arrangements.
This paper first assesses the different kinds of social and civil entrepreneurs in global
civil society, and identifies the specific features of their type of political action. In
particular, it will consider to what extent this political action can be characterized as
cosmo-political, independent of state structures and intergovernmental cooperation. It
will further consider whether such political action can make a real contribution to
political change without relying on traditional forms of governance. Second, the paper
considers the influence of global and civil entrepreneurs on international organizations
and global governance. Can these new change initiators serve as models for better
governance? Can they accomplish tasks that cannot be fulfilled by states? Should they
be seen as necessary complements to international organizations
