Understanding

Global Governance
In-class discussion
 GOVERNMENT vs GOVERNANCE

 Why can there be Global Governance without a World

Government?

 What does it take to have a World Government?

 James Rosenau, 1992:

GOVERNMENT GOVERNANCE
 Backed by shared goals
Purposive
 Backed by formal that may or may not derive
authority, by police from legal and formally
powers to insure the Goal-oriented prescribed responsibilities
implementation of duly and that do not necessarily
constituted policies rely on police powers to
System of rule overcome defiance and
attain compliance
Defining Global Governance
 1995 Commission on Global Governance:

 “the sum of many ways individuals and institutions, public

and private, manage their common affairs. It is a continuing
process through which conflicting or diverse interests may be
accommodated and cooperative action may be taken. It
includes formal…as well as informal arrangements that
people and institutions have agreed to or perceive to be in
their interest”
 Thomas Weiss:

 Global Governance as…“Efforts to bring more orderly and

reliable responses to social and political issues that go
beyond the capacities of states to address individually.”
 James Rosenau:

 “Global governance is conceived to include system of rule at

all levels of human activity - from the family to the
international organization – in which pursuit (search) of goals
through the exercise of control has transnational
repercussions.”

*Considers civil society but governments remain as primary

agents
 Morten Bøås:

*Governance as civil society- state relations

*Access to participation in the public realm
*Include non-governmental actors who exercise legitimate
authority
*Response to World bank operationalized bad governance
 COSMOPOLITANISTS:
 David Held, Richard Falk, Mary
Kaldor:

*Broadening identities beyond national

boundaries to a world community

*Increasing awareness of the benefits

of transnational collaboration within
regional associations and international
institutions
Pieces of Global Governance
1) International structures and mechanisms (formal or
informal)
IGOs: global, regional, purposive
INGOs

2) International rules and laws

Multilateral agreements, customary practices, judicial
decisions, regulatory standards

3) International norms or “soft law”

Framework agreements, select UN resolutions
Pieces of Global Governance

4) International Regimes

5) Ad hoc groups, arrangements, and global conferences

6) Private and hybrid public-private governance

 Global

Regional

Subregional

1. IGOs

General

Special
Sub/Regional Organizations
Why join?
 Kenneth Abbot & Duncan Snidal (1998):

 IGOs “allow for the centralization of collective activities

through a concrete and stable organizational structure and
supportive administrative apparatus… (increasing) the
efficiency of collective activities and enhance the
organization’s ability to affect the understandings,
environment, and interests of states.”
IGO Functions
a) Informational
gathering, analyzing, and disseminating data

b) Forum
providing place for exchange of views and decision-making

c) Normative
defining standards of behavior
IGO Functions

d) Rule creation
drafting legally binding treaties

e) Rule supervision
compliance monitoring, rue adjudication, enforcement
measures

f) Operational
resource allocation, provision of technical assistance and
relief, deployment of forces
 NGOs are "private organizations that
pursue activities to relieve suffering,
promote the interests of the poor,
protect the environment, provide basic
social services, or undertake
community development".
2. NGOs
INGOs have the same mission as
NGOs but it is international in scope
and has outposts around the world to
deal with specific issues in many
countries.
Kaldor: NGOs enable individuals to act publicly

*voluntary, local, issue-specific

*NGOs as ‘transmission belts among multiple levels

of governance
 Treaties or conventions

Customary practice

3. International
Writings of legal scholars
Rules and Law
Judicial decisions

General principles of law

Public International Law

applies to states except war crimes and crimes

against humanity

criticism on PIL: absence of international

enforcement mechanisms

self-interest, ‘self-help’ to secure compliance

UN, EU - ‘threat of sanctions’
 Shared expectations or
4. International understandings regarding
Norms or standards of appropriate
behavior for various
“Soft Law” actors, particularly states.
*some norms are strong,
weak, contested, or
“emerging”

*non-binding legal
conventions are in fact
norms = soft law

*human rights, labor rights

global commons
sustainable development
Jus cogens

a fundamental
principle of
international law that
is accepted by the
international
community of states
as a norm from
which no derogation Non-refoulement
is permitted. forbids the rendering of a true victim of
persecution to his or her persecutor
 Krasner, 1982:

“Implicit or explicit
5. International principles, norms, rules
and decision-making
Regimes procedures around which
actors’ expectations
converge in a given area
of international relations.”
Key characteristics of
international regimes
are their association
with a specific issue
area and the links
among constituent
element
6. Ad Hoc Groups/ Arrangements,
Global Conferences
Lack a formal legal basis

Global conferences, intergovernmental panels and forums, and

commissions
7. Private Governance
Involves authoritative decision-making in areas
where states have not acted, or have chosen
not to exercise authority
Actors in Global Governance

1) States
2) IGOs
3) NGOs
4) Experts
5) Multi-stakeholder Actors
6) MNCs