Lecture 8: Global Governance
Lecture Outline:
Defining governance
Scale
Peace-keeping and humanitarianism
Global economic governance
Global environmental governance
The death of the nation-state?
Conclusions
Governance: ‘Forms of rule-making which encompass government and non-government actors such as private companies and civil organisations’ (Williams et al.,2014, p.355)
3.Scale
UN, WTO, NATO, The World Bank
Global Governance relies on:
Understanding of global interconnectedness
Recognition of challenges that can be tackled at global scale
Willingness to cooperate and pool sovereignty
Ability to effect change
4. Peace-Keeping & Humanitarianism:
“Due to the powers vested in its Charter and its unique international character, the United Nations can take action on the issues confronting humanity in the 21st century, including:
Maintaining international peace and security
Protect human rights
Deliver humanitarian aid
Promote sustainable development
Uphold international law
League of Nations (1920-46)
End child labour
Campaigning for women’s right in the workplaces
Safer workplaces
Abolishing slavery
United Nations (1945-)
193 members
2 ‘observer states’ Palestine and Vatican
UN Security Council:
Permanent members with veto rights: USA, Russia, UK, France, China
The council primary objective: Maintain international peace and security
Peacekeeping Operations
60k personnel (59,887
5. Global Economic Governance
‘Bretton Woods’ system (1944)
Created by Allied powers during WW2
1944: 700 representatives of 44 countries met in Bretton Woods. Taken place in New Hampshire - proceedings dominated by US
Aim: Stability and prosperity to the global economy would lead to growth and trade globally
Orginally fixated on exhange rates
IMF: International Monetary Fund:
Purpose: short term balance of payments support for larger industrialised countries
Emergency ‘bail-outs’
Budget comes from subscriptions paid by 189 member states
‘Conditionally’ If you borrow from IMF, you must agree to economic reform
Global Environmental Governance
