ABSTRACT
The notion of global citizenship is not simple or uncontroversial. Where is such citizenship rooted? What criteria do we apply to judge the quality of its realization? How do we know whether it is eff ective? Who decides? Without international norms or established forums for discussion and debate, the notion of global citizenship can be manipulated by powerful interests, or remain diff use and fail to make a lasting contribution. In this respect, global citizenship and the institutions that support it may come to resemble foreign aid. Many people would agree that foreign aid is a necessary and a good thing in general, and yet its results are sometimes doubtful and can even be harmful-for example, by creating dependencies that discourage local populations from mastering their own development, by distorting economies, by introducing technologies that are unsustainable, encouraging corruption, or allocating too many resources to interests tied to donors or aid agencies.
