A model of global democracy associated with David Held and Daniele Archibugi (1995) that adds regional and global democratic institutions, notably a world parliamentary assembly, without abolishing states. Only campaigns exist, not a global assembly.
Held's Democracy and the Global Order and Archibugi and Held's edited Cosmopolitan Democracy (both 1995) argued that democracy must extend beyond nation-states to match global problems. As summarised by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the model stops short of world government: global parliamentary assembly, international courts and constitutional rule of law complement state institutions. A concrete proposal is a UN Parliamentary Assembly. The campaign for one launched in 2007 with an appeal for a consultative assembly, initially of national parliamentarians and possibly directly elected later. It reports support from over 1,800 current and former MPs. No such assembly exists. The European Parliament, directly elected since 1979, is a regional parallel. Objections: states' unwillingness to cede powers and unclear agents of change.
No global assembly established. The UN Parliamentary Assembly campaign, launched in 2007, remains advocacy; its support is reported by the campaign itself.
Cosmopolitan democracy, advocated by Held, Archibugi and others, lifts state-style democratic institutions to the global level, such as a global parliamentary assembly, international courts and constitutional rule of law, while stopping short of a world government.[1][2][3]
The Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly launched in 2007 with an appeal for a consultative assembly, initially of national parliamentarians and later possibly directly elected, and reports support from over 1,800 current and former MPs. It remains an advocacy campaign; no such assembly exists.[1][2][3]
Critics regard cosmopolitan democracy as often infeasible, citing a lack of political will to create a global parliament that would remove powers from states and unclear agents for achieving it; its advocates distinguish short-term targets from longer-term ideals.[1]
The first European Parliament elections by direct universal suffrage took place in June 1979. It is a regional parallel to a global assembly, not a world parliament.[1]