Frank Vibert is the co-founder and Director of the European Policy Forum in Pall Mall. He has previously worked as a Senior Advisor at the World Bank and a Senior Fellow at the UNU-WIDER Institute. He writes extensively on regulatory, institutional and constitutional topics and his previous publications include Europe Simple, Europe Strong: The Future of European Governance (2001) and Europe: A Constitution for the Millennium (1995).

'This book is essential reading for all those concerned with the accountability of expert bodies, such as regulators, appointed with specific responsibilities and acting independently from ministers. Frank Vibert shows how an extension of the constitutional doctrines of the separation of powers provides a practical framework for their legitimacy. In a society increasingly dependent on knowledge, he highlights the importance of not focusing exclusively on politics as a means through which democratic societies engage in reasoned problem solving.' Sir Ian Byatt, Chairman, Water Commission for Scotland and Former Director General of Water Services (Ofwat)

• Introduction; 1. The world of the unelected; 2. The driving forces; 3. The advantages of the new separation of powers; 4. The challenge to conventional democratic theory; 5. Adapting traditional approaches; 6. The new separation of powers and the advent of the informed citizen; 7. Informed citizens and the changing role of traditional institutions; 8. The legitimacy of the new branch; 9. The new separation of powers and the European Union; 10. International institutions: blurring the boundaries; 11. Conclusions: the accountability of the new branch.

Frank Vibert is the co-founder and Director of the European Policy Forum in Pall Mall. He has previously worked as a Senior Advisor at the World Bank and a Senior Fellow at the UNU-WIDER Institute. He writes extensively on regulatory, institutional and constitutional topics and his previous publications include Europe Simple, Europe Strong: The Future of European Governance (2001) and Europe: A Constitution for the Millennium (1995).

'This book is essential reading for all those concerned with the accountability of expert bodies, such as regulators, appointed with specific responsibilities and acting independently from ministers. Frank Vibert shows how an extension of the constitutional doctrines of the separation of powers provides a practical framework for their legitimacy. In a society increasingly dependent on knowledge, he highlights the importance of not focusing exclusively on politics as a means through which democratic societies engage in reasoned problem solving.' Sir Ian Byatt, Chairman, Water Commission for Scotland and Former Director General of Water Services (Ofwat)

• Introduction; 1. The world of the unelected; 2. The driving forces; 3. The advantages of the new separation of powers; 4. The challenge to conventional democratic theory; 5. Adapting traditional approaches; 6. The new separation of powers and the advent of the informed citizen; 7. Informed citizens and the changing role of traditional institutions; 8. The legitimacy of the new branch; 9. The new separation of powers and the European Union; 10. International institutions: blurring the boundaries; 11. Conclusions: the accountability of the new branch.

Frank Vibert is the co-founder and Director of the European Policy Forum in Pall Mall. He has previously worked as a Senior Advisor at the World Bank and a Senior Fellow at the UNU-WIDER Institute. He writes extensively on regulatory, institutional and constitutional topics and his previous publications include Europe Simple, Europe Strong: The Future of European Governance (2001) and Europe: A Constitution for the Millennium (1995).

'This book is essential reading for all those concerned with the accountability of expert bodies, such as regulators, appointed with specific responsibilities and acting independently from ministers. Frank Vibert shows how an extension of the constitutional doctrines of the separation of powers provides a practical framework for their legitimacy. In a society increasingly dependent on knowledge, he highlights the importance of not focusing exclusively on politics as a means through which democratic societies engage in reasoned problem solving.' Sir Ian Byatt, Chairman, Water Commission for Scotland and Former Director General of Water Services (Ofwat)

• Introduction; 1. The world of the unelected; 2. The driving forces; 3. The advantages of the new separation of powers; 4. The challenge to conventional democratic theory; 5. Adapting traditional approaches; 6. The new separation of powers and the advent of the informed citizen; 7. Informed citizens and the changing role of traditional institutions; 8. The legitimacy of the new branch; 9. The new separation of powers and the European Union; 10. International institutions: blurring the boundaries; 11. Conclusions: the accountability of the new branch.