ABSTRACT
From the destruction o f the twin towers on 11 Septem ber 2001 to the failure of trade discussions at Cancun in Septem ber 2003, issues are raised which no t only concern large swathes o f the w orld’s population, bu t can only be adequately resolved by increased coordination and cooperation across borders. How such coordination and cooperation can be achieved, and how and to whom there should be accountability, are the them es o f this article. The article is in six parts. The first part sketches the contem porary nature of global politics; the second examines problem s and dilemmas o f global public policymaking; the th ird explores how global governance can be strengthened; the fourth sets ou t the framework of a cosm opolitan polity which would place dem ocratic accountability at its centre; the fifth unfolds a related concept of m ultilayered citizenship; and the final part explores the underlying cosmopolitan principles of the argum ent. The m odern polity was built on the idea of the m odern state and a system of state-based accountability. While this represented a hugely im portan t paradigm shift, it is no longer sufficient to help understand the p roper form of dem ocratic accountability in a global age.
