Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- Participants in the Gothenburg Workshop
- List of contributors
- Editor's acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Global governance, accountability and civil society
- 2 Civil society and accountability of the United Nations
- 3 The World Bank and democratic accountability: the role of civil society
- 4 Civil society and IMF accountability
- 5 Civil society and the WTO: contesting accountability
- 6 Civil society and accountability in the Commonwealth
- 7 The Organisation of the Islamic Conference: accountability and civil society
- 8 Civil society and patterns of accountability in the OECD
- 9 Civil society and G8 accountability
- 10 Structuring accountability: civil society and the Asia-Europe Meeting
- 11 Civil society and accountability in the global governance of climate change
- 12 Civil society and accountability promotion in the Global Fund
- 13 Accountability in private global governance: ICANN and civil society
- 14 Civil society and the World Fair Trade Organization: developing responsive accountability
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
9 - Civil society and G8 accountability
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- Participants in the Gothenburg Workshop
- List of contributors
- Editor's acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Global governance, accountability and civil society
- 2 Civil society and accountability of the United Nations
- 3 The World Bank and democratic accountability: the role of civil society
- 4 Civil society and IMF accountability
- 5 Civil society and the WTO: contesting accountability
- 6 Civil society and accountability in the Commonwealth
- 7 The Organisation of the Islamic Conference: accountability and civil society
- 8 Civil society and patterns of accountability in the OECD
- 9 Civil society and G8 accountability
- 10 Structuring accountability: civil society and the Asia-Europe Meeting
- 11 Civil society and accountability in the global governance of climate change
- 12 Civil society and accountability promotion in the Global Fund
- 13 Accountability in private global governance: ICANN and civil society
- 14 Civil society and the World Fair Trade Organization: developing responsive accountability
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Introduction
The Group of Eight (G8) is an informal transgovernmental forum of what are usually characterised as the major industrial democracies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. This global governance mechanism has its origins in 1973 with meetings of the Group of Five (G5) finance ministers from France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA. Two years later the heads of state or government of these countries, plus Italy, held a first summit meeting at Rambouillet in France. Canada joined the club in 1976 to form the Group of Seven (G7). The European Union has participated – though not as a member state – since 1977. In 1998 Russia's full membership created the G8. More recently the leaders of five other major regional states (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa) have joined parts of the summit proceedings in what has been termed the ‘G8+5’. In 2007 the ‘+5’ were renamed the ‘Outreach 5’ (‘O5’), and in 2008 the group formed the ‘G5’, which held its own meeting and issued a separate political declaration.
Despite huge publicity surrounding the G8 summits, this major institution of global governance remains relatively little understood outside specialist circles. In particular, the crucial issue of G8 accountability – especially its democratic accountability – has received scant attention.
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- Building Global Democracy?Civil Society and Accountable Global Governance, pp. 182 - 205Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011
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