[governance] Multistakeholderism

[Deirdre Williams]

I feel a little as if I were in Hans Andersen's “The Emperor's New
Clothes<http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html>”
story. So let me take on the role of the little child near the end of the
story who said "But he hasn't got anything on."

Internet governance, as far as I am concerned, is an issue of global
concern. It is too far-reaching in its effects to be limited to any one
sector of the global community. I understand multistakeholder to offer
greater inclusion, or, since I find myself using the comparative “greater”
without being clear about “greater than what?”, then I understand
multistakeholder to be a precaution against limitation to a single sector.
Multistakeholder means that many different voices, with many different
opinions, will be heard.

However everyone seems to have a different answer to “what is a
stakeholder?” and to the issue of whether stakeholders are:

a) groups

b) individuals or

c) a combination of both

Does anyone here have an answer, and if c), how is an equitable balance of
power to be achieved?



Also three terms seem to be used interchangeably in discussion:

a) multistakeholderism

b) multistakeholder model

   c) multistakeholder process

   I would like to know about the process as it refers to decision making.
   I followed the Netmundial meeting as a remote participant. The final
   decision making process had no remote access, so I am unable to comment on
   it.

   However, earlier today in a message to the governance list (et alia) in
   the thread “Roles and Responsibilities” Wolfgang Kleinwachter, discussing
   multistakeholderism and democracy, stated “ And Net Mundial has produced
   another - probably the most advanced so far - model. Important is that you
   have - as in the case of represenative democracy - some cirteria so that
   you can measure the level of democracy/multistakeholderism.” But what
   are these criteria?

   In the same message Kleinwachter offers:


   In a democracy it is the separation of powers with an independent
   judiciary, independent press and a working parliament with a strong
   recognized opposition. In multisakeholderism it is transparency, openess,
   accountability, bottom up policy development, shared decision making,
   decentralization etc.

So what in fact is the actual process of "shared decision making? How is it
done and how is that particular way of doing it “better”? And what about
the actual process of "bottom up policy development"? How is it more than
standing in line to speak at an open microphone?

I should really like to know, and I'm hoping to hear from several people so
that I can learn from the whole range of views in one place.

Thank you

Deirdre

-- 
“The fundamental cure for poverty is not money but knowledge" Sir William
Arthur Lewis, Nobel Prize Economics, 1979
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