Communication governance and the role of civil society: reflections on participation and the changing scope of political action

Global change and developments in information and communication technologies are affecting practices of political conduct at all levels. We assume that “new forms of politics” are emerging at the global level, with new subjects (private entities and civil society organizations, but also local authorities) being more and more recognized as legitimate actors on the global scene. The UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) offers a meaningful opportunity to observe and analyse different aspects of these transformations, particularly those relating to trans-national civil society organizations and their potential impact on global politics. In the present article we address the following questions: What has WSIS shown that can be helpful in defining the “boundaries” of “global civil society” as a concept and a reality? How can we assess the growing self-perception of civil society as an actor in global governance? What has been the real impact of civil society in the WSIS process?