Civil society participation in multistakeholder processes: in between realism and utopia

As the legitimisation of international organisations, as well as other institutions, is being questioned more and more, these institutions are trying to find new ways by which to involve non-state stakeholders—citizens, civil society actors or organised citizens, and private actors—in their decision-making processes. This chapter analyses the rules that govern civil society participation in policy-processes and how the so-called multi-stakeholder approach is implemented. It draws upon some of the results of two surveys directed at civil society organisations (CSOs) that participated in the WSIS-process or in the Convention on the Future of Europe.