3.H

Accountability

National borders are among today’s greatest barriers to accountability; removing them is one of the most powerful steps we can take to expand it. Our global democracy dramatically expands accountability for every person, by phasing out the shield separate national sovereignty provides today for all sorts of malfeasance.

Our first principle that everyone, everywhere, is included does not mean carte blanche. All manner of criminals, including dictators and terrorists, must be held accountable to the law.

A high level of accountability on proxies (who will have a large role in decision-making) is inherent in the liquid democracy model: proxy power can be revoked, and reclaimed or re-assigned, at will and instantaneously, by every voter. Depending on design choice, voters may also have the option to reverse their votes.

Every elected position, whether as a constitutional judge, a law enforcement official, or a framer of questions (including translators), is subject to immediate recall and replacement by pre-elected deputies.

Although it’s difficult to foresee where corruption might arise in this system, experience suggests that it’s always a danger. Effective deterrence will require substantial penalties, much higher than those we see officials face in most countries today. (The prevalence of corruption today is prima facie evidence that penalties are too weak, especially when diluted by the low probability of prosecution and conviction.)

Finally, our global court system will enable criminal and civil cases to be tried, along with the adjudication of constitutional questions.

Index

1 – Abstract
2 – Description of the Model
2.1 – Separate Countries are Failing Us
2.2 – We Need a Global Democracy
2.3 – How is this Possible? Through Two New Technologies
2.4 – Blockchains for Security
2.5 – Critical Success Factors
2.6 – Design
2.7 – Liquid Democracy
2.8 – Deliberation
2.9 – The Right to Information
2.10 – Subsidiarity: Localizing Decisions Whenever Possible
2.11 – Who Frames the Questions?
2.12 – Language Barriers
2.13 – Constitutional Guarantees to Protect Rights
2.14 – Constitutional Court
2.15 – Enforcement
2.16 – Phasing In
2.17 – Can We Really Unify Separate Countries?
2.18 – Worldwide Public Opinion
2.19 – Realistically, How Can We Get There?
3 – Argumentation
3.A – Core Values
3.B – Decision-Making Capacity
3.C – Effectiveness
3.D – Resources and Financing
3.E – Trust and Insight
3.F – Flexibility
3.G – Protection Against the Abuse of Power
3.H – Accountability