This timely book explores a critical new juncture where globalisation is in retreat and global norms of behaviour are not converging. Frank Vibert provides an expert analysis on how this situation has arisen from a combination of changes in the relative power and position of nations and the different values behind the organisation of domestic government in democracies and authoritarian states. Vibert challenges the assumption that differences in the way countries organise their domestic form of government can be kept separate from rulemaking at the international level. The book examines how democracies can defend their own values relative to others, the methods of influence, and the ways of managing conflict between contending values. Comity maps a path away from impasse to where democracies cooperate to make rules for themselves that can then be extended to others. It also discusses the legitimacy of this form of international rulemaking. Vibert concludes with the need for democracies to address their own democratic backsliding and to refresh their alliances with other democracies. This book steps back from conventional claims that we are heading towards an ever more globalised world and sets out the importance of norms in shaping institutions, relationships and the techniques of rulemaking. The book will be critical reading for scholars of international relations, constitutional and administrative law, regulation, and international politics. It will also be useful for practitioners in international organisations, governments and administrative bodies.

Democratic governments are increasingly under pressure from populists, and distrust of governmental authority is on the rise. Economic causes are often blamed. Making a 21st Century Constitution proposes instead that constitutions no longer provide the kind of support that democracies need in today's conditions, and outlines ways in which reformers can rectify this. Frank Vibert addresses key sources of constitutional obsolescence, identifies the main challenges for constitutional updating and sets out the ways in which constitutions may be made suitable for the the 21st century. The book highlights the need for reformers to address the deep diversity of values in today's urbanized societies, the blind spots and content-lite nature of democratic politics, and the dispersion of authority among new chains of intermediaries. This book will be invaluable for students of political science, public administration and policy, law and constitutional economics. Its analysis of how constitutions can be made fit for purpose again will appeal to all concerned with governance, practitioners and reformers alike.

Unelected bodies, such as independent central banks, economic regulators, risk managers and auditors have become a worldwide phenomenon. Democracies are increasingly turning to them to demarcate boundaries between the market and the state, to resolve conflicts of interest and to allocate resources, even in sensitive ethical areas such as those involving privacy or biotechnology. This book examines the challenge that unelected bodies present to democracy and argues that, taken together, such bodies should be viewed as a new branch of government with their own sources of legitimacy and held to account through a new separation of powers. Vibert suggests that such bodies help promote a more informed citizenry because they provide a more trustworthy and reliable source of information for decisions. This book will be of interest to specialists and general readers with an interest in modern democracy as well as policy makers, think tanks and journalists.

`This book offers an exciting new approach to assess and remedy the deficiencies of international rule making. The existing system is prone to the epistemic failings of elites and suffers from the lack democratic responsiveness. Both flaws ought to be corrected by introducing governing rules that allow for challenge and dissent. The book is perfect reading for scholars and practitioners who are interested in placing the international order on a more secure footing.' - Beate Kohler-Koch, University of Mannheim, Germany `A thoughtful and authoritative work on international rule making and a fresh approach to the challenges it poses to democracy.' - John Braithwaite, Australian National University Frank Vibert examines the fundamental issues involved in attempts to rethink international institutions and their rule making procedures. He analyses the basic problems with the existing system and the main approaches to its reform. The book repudiates the idea that there are any simple institutional `fixes' for current problems, such as relying on the G20 to coordinate global rule making, and also rejects more ambitious attempts to prescribe new general organising principles for world governance. It calls instead for specific remedies for specific problems. The author recommends new procedures for all international rule making, so that both expert groups and governments are subject to much stronger external checks on what they do. Democracy and Dissent will be essential reading for both academics and postgraduate students of risk management and regulation in economics, international relations, international business, political science and international law for the discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of expert rulemaking groups and their procedures. Practitioners in international organisations, NGOs and domestic regulatory bodies will also find this timely resource invaluable. The book opens up new areas for empirical investigation and in the discussion of theory.

`This book offers an exciting new approach to assess and remedy the deficiencies of international rule making. The existing system is prone to the epistemic failings of elites and suffers from the lack democratic responsiveness. Both flaws ought to be corrected by introducing governing rules that allow for challenge and dissent. The book is perfect reading for scholars and practitioners who are interested in placing the international order on a more secure footing.' - Beate Kohler-Koch, University of Mannheim, Germany `A thoughtful and authoritative work on international rule making and a fresh approach to the challenges it poses to democracy.' - John Braithwaite, Australian National University Frank Vibert examines the fundamental issues involved in attempts to rethink international institutions and their rule making procedures. He analyses the basic problems with the existing system and the main approaches to its reform. The book repudiates the idea that there are any simple institutional `fixes' for current problems, such as relying on the G20 to coordinate global rule making, and also rejects more ambitious attempts to prescribe new general organising principles for world governance. It calls instead for specific remedies for specific problems. The author recommends new procedures for all international rule making, so that both expert groups and governments are subject to much stronger external checks on what they do. Democracy and Dissent will be essential reading for both academics and postgraduate students of risk management and regulation in economics, international relations, international business, political science and international law for the discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of expert rulemaking groups and their procedures. Practitioners in international organisations, NGOs and domestic regulatory bodies will also find this timely resource invaluable. The book opens up new areas for empirical investigation and in the discussion of theory.

Unelected bodies, such as independent central banks, economic regulators, risk managers and auditors have become a worldwide phenomenon. Democracies are increasingly turning to them to demarcate boundaries between the market and the state, to resolve conflicts of interest and to allocate resources, even in sensitive ethical areas such as those involving privacy or biotechnology. This book examines the challenge that unelected bodies present to democracy and argues that, taken together, such bodies should be viewed as a new branch of government with their own sources of legitimacy and held to account through a new separation of powers. Vibert suggests that such bodies help promote a more informed citizenry because they provide a more trustworthy and reliable source of information for decisions. This book will be of interest to specialists and general readers with an interest in modern democracy as well as policy makers, think tanks and journalists.