ABSTRACT
Issues and problems spill beyond borders — more often, with more intensity, and with more significant consequences than before. National democratic systems alone cannot cope; we need new forms of representation, participation and accountability. In these terms, David Held raises the issue of political community in ‘The Changing Contours of Political Community’ (Chapter One of this volume) and other work (notably Held 1995). This ‘critique’ joins the conversation, questioning aspects of Held's argument while going with the spirit of his work in order to deal with a key issue of democracy today — how and where should democratic decisions now be made? The focus is less on ‘globalization’ or the substance of would-be cosmopolitan democracy, and more on how we might identify and explore the structures and mechanisms of cosmopolitan democracy. My aim is to illustrate some innovative possible mechanisms for cosmopolitan democracy, rather than to deal in great depth with any one of them.
