Lecture 8: Global Governance

Lecture Outline:

2. Defining governance

3. Scale

4. Peace-keeping and humanitarianism

5. Global economic governance

6. Global environmental governance

7. The death of the nation-state?

8. 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