Author: Peter I. Hajnal

 

This chapter examines the democratic accountability of the Group of Eight (G8) with a particular focus on civil society. It begins by outlining the mandate and activities of the G8, examines for what and to whom the G8 is accountable, and analyses how and to what extent civil society engagement of the G8 has promoted or failed to promote the accountability of this informal global governance arrangement. The chapter considers the types and the motivations of civil society interactions with the G8, the accountability effects of this nexus, and factors that have helped or hindered civil society’s contribution to G8 accountability. The chapter concludes that the G8 has obligations for accountability for its actions and inactions on a broad range of global issues, but that this accountability is at present generally weak, especially in respect of transparency and redress. The main conclusion is that civil society has a major but as yet largely unfulfilled role in enhancing G8 accountability on all four of its principal dimensions.