Humanities & Social Sciences
December 2016
A THEORY ON GLOBAL DEMOCRACY AND HOW TO GET THERE
The key idea behind this book
, I measured in many occasions the distance between committed people and international institutions and I realized it isn't so big as many think. And I saw how "normal" people may have a role in making the world a better place. The aim of this book is empowering people – as members of the civil society as well as members of a global public opinion – making them feel global citizens.
The book will help to understand better the world we live in and how it is interconnected overcoming the feeling of remoteness and powerlessness that characterizes people in their relationship with international organizations.
As explained in the book, reforming international organizations is possible, the big question is “how?”. This book will be for me the occasion to present to the big public a theory on democracy which fits not only local and national communities, but also the global sphere. It is grounded on three core values: legitimacy, accountability and inclusivity.
The reader will be provided with concrete insights, suggestions and tools. The book will mix philosophy, general theory of law, international law and political analysis in a plain, direct language and will offer for each topic concrete examples and personal experiences to make the reading pleasant, clear but also informative.
Why I am especially qualified to write this book
I am a professor of international law and EU law and I add on my fifteen years of experience in teaching and researching in these fields a number of other useful personal experiences: I have been an activist in the European Young Federalists Movement (JEF) with a leading role; I had working experiences in the legal office of the Council of EU ministers (Brussels) and in the European central Bank (Frankfurt) and I attended regularly – in the last five years -the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and the Civil Society Policy Forum which is attached. I am also a founding member of the think tank “The Group of Lecce”.
This mix of different experiences gives me a unique multifaceted perspectives on the work of international organizations, their special features, strengths and flaws.
Why this is a good moment to publish this book
In September 2015, the 193 member states of the United Nations approved the list of 17 sustainable development goals. An unprecedented communication campaign is spreading the word on all media, inviting every person to be part of a global effort to end poverty and inequality, to heal the planet and its climate in the next 15 years. In December 2015, the Global conference COP21 adopted an ambitious agreement to fight climate change. It’s a special moment, our collective identity as global citizens is fostered by all means. I think that it couldn’t be a better moment to write and publish this book, providing people with the tools to feel and act as real global citizens.
