Implications For Global Governance Research Articles

Behind closed doors: Informal influence on United Nations staffing and pathologies of international bureaucracies

AbstractThis research explores the mechanisms through which member states informally shape staffing decisions in the United Nations, extending the traditional view of influence beyond mere structural power within international organizations. Interviews with UN officials uncover three primary informal governance tactics: leveraging financial contributions, nurturing social networks, and fostering educational and institutional pathways for grooming candidates. These strategies subtly impact UN staffing, policy development, and access to sensitive information. The study points to the UN's structural challenges, such as reliance on voluntary funding and decentralized administration, which, coupled with the intertwined interests across organizational levels and the lack of effective oversight mechanisms, enable member states' informal influence. This environment not only restricts the involvement of developing countries but also undermines the UN's legitimacy and effectiveness. The findings illuminate the intricate dynamics of power within IOs, underscoring the need for a comprehensive understanding of influence and its implications for global governance.

Mapping and Unpacking Global Governance Bodies: A Cross Sectional and Cross Organizational Analysis

Abstract Several recent studies have pointed to the increasing relevance of relatively informal, non-treaty-based global governance bodies (GGBs). Yet, a systematic fine-grained assessment of these bodies and their implications for global governance are still pending. To what extent, do non-treaty-based GGBs constitute a truly novel type of governance body, distinct from traditional treaty-based international organizations (IOs)? How do the distinctive features of GGBs affect their role in global governance? To what extent are GGB’s patterns of emergence and development specific to policy sectors? This article tackles these questions, drawing on an original dataset on GGBs in five distinct policy areas (banking and finance, energy, global health, Internet, and migration policy). We combine a micro-organizational perspective with a meso-level network approach to unpack the main features of non-treaty-based GGBs vis-à-vis, traditional IOs. Our results provide support to the general expectation that non-treaty-based GGBs offer distinctive opportunities for global governance with respect to traditional IOs. However, importantly, this relationship is not dichotomous. We find that GGBs exist on a continuum of fit-to-purpose designs ranging from hard, formal, and intergovernmental models to a soft, informal, and multistakeholder-based form of governance. Lastly, we also find notable variations across policy areas, where global health stands out given its decentralized network structure.

The US and EU’s Intellectual Property Initiatives in Asia: Competition, Coordination or Replication?

AbstractIntellectual property rights (IPRs) have been a priority for the European Union and the United States. However, over the past two decades, the EU and US have failed to advance their preferred IPRs standards through multilateral forums and have pursued bilateral alternatives instead. How have the EU and US pursued their strategies in this fragmented environment? Looking specifically at the Asia‐Pacific, we compare their bilateral initiatives on IPRs across three strategies: treaty‐making, coercion and socialization. Through this analysis, we examine whether the EU and US’s bilateral actions indicate regulatory competition, coordination or replication. We find that the overall tendency has been towards replication, which raises questions about the reasons for this redundancy and its policy consequences. As the rise of bilateralism is not unique to IPRs, our findings have implications for global governance more generally.

Blockchain technology in international business: changing the agenda for global governance

PurposeBlockchain technology has extended beyond the border of cryptocurrency and taken hold in various areas of international business. This study aims to analyze the impacts of blockchain on international business and the resulting challenges and implications for global governance.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis of multiple blockchain applications in international finance, banking and insurance, supply chain management and logistics and marketing and advertising shows that the use of blockchain in international business has different impacts on global governance.FindingsAlthough the protection of property rights can be improved and transaction costs can be reduced, the effects on other functions of global governance are more ambivalent.Research limitations/implicationsAs a recommendation for future studies, the need for more multidisciplinary and empirical research is proposed.Practical implicationsAs the technology disrupts business activities, it also affects the governance of these activities on a global scale. Suggestions for the future regulation of blockchain applications in international business are developed.Originality/valueBlockchain technology has extended beyond the border of cryptocurrency and taken hold in various areas of international business. This study aims to analyze the impacts of blockchain on international business and the resulting challenges and implications for global governance. The application of blockchain technology in international business across multiple industries is explored in order to draw conclusions about its impacts on global governance. It is determined that blockchain brings about both challenges and benefits for global governance.

Global governance in new public environmental management: An international and intertemporal comparison of voluntary standards' impacts

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to analyse the indirect effects of environmental management system implementation and certification. Specifically, the paper comprehensively assesses the effects of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 14001 and European Union Eco‐Management and Auditing Scheme (EMAS) certification as well as experience with implementing environmental management systems on (a) organisational activities outside the scope of environmental management systems, (b) pollution prevention, and (c) product stewardship. This is done by applying multivariate regression analysis to a large multicountry and multiperiod dataset. The analysis finds heterogeneous effects that are limited specifically as concerns pollution prevention and product stewardship and cannot establish clear links to national business systems. Given this and the differences between environmental management system standards, implications for global governance in the context of new public environmental management and the role of national governments in implementing sustainability, even beyond environmental protection, are discussed. Ultimately, the paper evidences on potential limitations of the major international environmental management system standards ISO 14001 and EMAS in supporting the diffusion of advanced practices such as pollution prevention and product stewardship that are necessary for sustainable development. In doing so, it highlights that government‐led public environmental management remains crucial for organising governance, especially in the context of voluntary standards that are applied internationally.

The promises and perils of international institutional bypasses: defining a new concept and its policy implications for global governance

ABSTRACTThe rapid proliferation of international institutions has been a defining feature of postwar global governance architecture. Many international institutions overlap, playing similar or identical governance roles. Contributing to the existing research literature on this phenomenon, we offer the new concept of ‘international institutional bypass’ (IIB). Just like surgeons grafting new pathways around blocked arteries in coronary bypasses, global governors have increasingly responded to clogged international institutions by working around them. After presenting a definition of IIBs, we articulate why this concept may prove useful to work on global governance, how it is different from existing concepts, and discuss possible policy implications. Specifically, when faced with competition from an IIB, existing dominant institutions either fight back, shape up, or do nothing, which may result in displacement, merger, or co-existence. Our analysis both informed and drew upon a series of case studies published in this symposium issue of Transnational Legal Theory journal.

International Institutions, Global “Partnerships” and the Structural Power of Multinational Corporations

Throughout the last two decades, institutions of global security and governance have undergone a paradigmatic shift in their engagements with multinational corporations (MNCs). The United Nations, in particular, has increasingly embraced big business as “partner” in human security, humanitarian response and development through formalized “global public–private partnerships” (GP3s). Naturally, a debate has emerged on the efficacies of these GP3s and their implications for global governance. This paper contributes to this debate by proposing and employing a new research agenda that interrogates the impacts that GP3s have on international institutions themselves using a case study of a particular UN agency, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It will argue that UNHCR GP3s are a highly asymmetrical set of power relations that are having constitutive effects on the agency. The UNHCR is undergoing significant operational and ideological changes in the GP3 process in a manner that is synonymous with Stephen Gill’s (1998) concept of “new constitutionalism”; a reconstitution that opens up and further embeds the agency within the forces of the capitalist global political economy. Hence, this case study demonstrates that GP3s are capable of undermining the mandate and autonomy of global security and governance institutions.

Crowdsourcing Sustainable Development Goals from Global Civil Society: A Content Analysis

For the past several decades, members of global civil society have begun to play an increasing role in global environmental governance. Expanding participation in global decision making processes to include actors beyond the nation-state is viewed as a corrective for the democratic deficit that some argue continues to undermine the legitimacy of international institutions. Yet, important questions remain regarding how civil society should be incorporated into global policymaking. One recently implemented approach involves crowdsourcing comments through web-based platforms like e-discussions and social media. However, the viability of this approach and its implications for global governance have not been adequately assessed. In this paper, I evaluate the potential efficacy of crowdsourcing as a means of increasing participation in global environmental governance through an analysis of data from the global MY World survey and a content analysis of UN-initiated e-discussions surrounding the inclusion of environmental sustainability in the post-2015 development agenda. I find that there exists a perceptible demographic imbalance among contributors to the MY World survey and considerable dissonance between the characteristics of participants in the e-discussions and those whose voices were included in the resulting summary report. This suggests that although crowdsourcing may be an attractive tool for widening participation in global governance, ultimately the democratic quality of that participation depends on the manner in which contributions are filtered by international institutions.

Europe in China's Incremental Intercontinentalism

This article situates the future trajectory of the China‐Europe relationship within China's emerging “grand strategy” for its engagement with the world. I argue that the second decade of the 21st century has seen China choose to rise into, instead of drastically change, the world order. China's incremental intercontinentalism accepts U.S.'s dominance in the world system, but nonetheless actively seeks to build up new multilateral structures to engage with various regions and countries around the globe. In this process, the European Union and Europe are gradually figuring more prominently in China's economic and technological strategies. Great space still exists for strong China‐Europe collaborations, but these will more likely take place in economic instead of political and strategic spheres. I conclude with several implications for global governance and China‐Europe relations.

After Ricardo – after Marx – after Keynes: comparative advantage, mutual advantage and implications for global governance

This paper submits that one of the most fallacious paradigms in economic thought and policy, stemming from Ricardo, has been that of comparative advantage, as it has assumed no capital mobility whereas it has been mainly foreign direct investment that has driven global trade since World War II and has confirmed Marx's claims for uneven development. The paper outlines that this has meant asymmetric outcomes compromising the post-war Bretton Woods system and suggests that this needs both a post-Ricardian and a post-Keynesian conceptual framework for global governance.

The emergence of the BRICS – implications for global governance

The emergence of the BRICS – implications for global governance

China's International Aid Policy and its Implications for Global Governance

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the policies of China in the fields of development aid and their implications for global governance. The paper takes a comprehensive perspective on the various facets of such policies from the institutional arrangement, to key features of China's aid policies in the different stages of China's domestic reform and in the relations with recipient countries from different regions. A comparative perspective is undertaken, both vertically, through time, to have a good understanding of the evolution of China's strategies and practices in the development aid, and horizontally, with respect to the reflections among traditional donors at the international level. The paper starts with an analysis of domestic political economy of China's foreign aid policy with an emphasis of institutional arrangement and role of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). It will then examine some new trends of international development policies of traditional donors and compare them with China's strategies and practices. The authors then draw some key features of China's aid policy by looking into its practices in three different regions (Africa, Asia and Latin America). The paper concludes with a summary and analysis of implications of China's foreign aid policy for global governance on international development.

Transnational Activism in World Politics and Effectiveness of a Loosely Organised Principled Global Network: The Case of the NGO Coalition for an International Criminal Court

The article discusses the role of the NGO Coalition for an ICC, a loosely organized principled network established to promote a fair, independent and strong permanent international criminal court, in the creation of the world's first permanent judicial institution vested with the authority to deal with the worst crimes. The study further identifies the basic features of the Coalition and assesses its impact on world politics and its implications for global governance.

China's Long-Term Energy Outlook and the Implications for Global Governance

This study gives a long-term energy outlook for China by an econometric method. China's GDP growth will be 6.4 percent annually from 2005 to 2030, and the continuation of rapid economic growth could result in a number of difficult issues such as energy security, environment protection and CO2 emissions reductions. China should solve these problems through its own efforts. At the same time, international cooperation such as establishing an Energy Community in the Northeast Asia region is also an important strategic option.

Domestic Courts and Global Governance

Domestic court decisions often make headlines around the world. For example, recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions about the International Court of Justice and the rights of foreign detainees held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay have attracted international attention. However, the role of domestic courts in the world extends far beyond headlines. Seemingly routine decisions on issues such as personal jurisdiction, forum non conveniens, choice of law, extraterritoriality, and arbitration have implications for global governance. Legal scholarship divides these issues into doctrinal categories like civil procedure, conflict of laws, and international law. But by doing so, it misses the bigger picture: for better or worse, domestic courts are pervasively involved in regulating transnational activity. This Article cuts across doctrinal categories to provide the first systematic analysis of the global impact of domestic courts. It argues that domestic courts perform two global governance functions: they allocate governance authority, and they determine the rights and obligations of transnational actors. It shows that these functions matter not only for litigants, but also for global welfare. And it proposes a method for critically evaluating these functions that moves beyond traditional litigant-focused assessments to analysis of the cross-border effects of domestic court decisions. This method will allow scholars and policymakers to develop the empirical foundations needed for the intensifying debate over the proper role of domestic courts in addressing global challenges.

International restructuring, health and the advanced industrial state

International restructuring, health and the advanced industrial state

Asia, U.S. Primacy, and Global Governance

The Bush administration faces mounting criticisms about its war in Iraq and post-September 11 agenda. (1) The period since late 2001 has witnessed a striking dissipation of worldwide sympathy for America and a growth in popular resistance to U.S. power--hard and soft. (2) Differences, dissent, and diatribe emanate from some of Washington's closest notably France and Germany, as well as from the developing world. Asian states, while diverse, provide examples of the possible implications of post-September 11 diplomacy. Public opinion polls indicate that suspicion and resentment against the United States have grown in countries ranging from South Korea, China, and Malaysia to Thailand and Indonesia. Yet these sentiments exist in parallel with admiration of the preeminent United States, a fundamental ambivalence captured in a now well-known saying, Yankee, go home ... and take me with you. (3) The attitude of Asian states cannot be equated with that of old Europe. Indeed, they have largely been responsive to U.S. concerns in the aftermath of the tragic attacks of September 2001. Even on the question of Iraq, despite considerable negative popular opinion and rhetorical protests, the majority of Asian states (with the notable exception of Malaysia) have acquiesced to American wishes or sought to at least contain their differences. Nor have they sought, as some European states have, to focus on the UN and to emphasize the rule of law in global governance and security. These responses betray underlying attitudes to global politics and institutions. Most Asians are content to be involved in the UN and seek to use it to legitimize or delegitimize actions. However, where U.S. and UN interests diverge, many Asian states seek accommodations with American power. There is no overriding commitment to multilateralism and the UN per se. Faced with America's primacy and show of force, Asian states have sometimes emphasized regional cooperation, and thus Asia's commitment to global institutions is likely to further weaken. And so, what are the implications for global governance when considering Asian approaches to the post-September 11 world? More particularly, how does the world organization fare? Accommodating American Power Consensus and sympathy for the unilateralist instincts of the United States have worn thin over time, especially concerning Iraq. Security Council Resolution 1511 on the postwar governance of Iraq has papered over some issues but has not resolved underlying tensions. Concretely, how have Asians responded? There has been no collective statement about September 11 by all East Asian states. Only the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) unanimously condemned the violence that day as an attack against humanity and an assault on all of us (4) and rallied to support U.S. antiterrorism efforts. (5) A typology may be offered between states that are allies, along for the ride, and protesting too much. Staunch allies are frontline supporters of U.S. actions and have been proactive domestically. In the Philippines, for example, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has allowed U.S. troops to conduct joint counterterrorism military exercises in the south of the country. On Iraq, Manila gave an early and unequivocal yes. On a brief visit to the Philippines in October 2003, President George W. Bush promised to help the country weed out terrorism. (6) Other staunch supporters have been Japan and Singapore. In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks, Japan promptly dispatched its Self-Defense Forces to participate in Afghanistan by providing logistical support and intelligence to U.S. counterterrorism military operations--going beyond past practices premised on its post-World War II constitution. (7) Singapore authorities arrested over thirty Jemaah Islamiah operatives in 2002, two-thirds of whom were arrested after Bali, and have since uncovered a Southeast Asian-wide network of terrorist groups linked to Al-Qaida. …

Confusion Abounds: Globalization and Global Governance

Transformative Change and Global Order: Reflections on Theory and Practice. Edited by Doris A. Fuchs, Friedrich Kratochwil. Munster: Lit Verlag, 2002. 280 pp., $24.95 (ISBN: 3-8258-6374-3). Globalization and global governance can be analyzed in two broad ways: by exploring the empirical facts about their effects in current world affairs, or by exploring the political discourse surrounding them. Transformative Change and Global Order , edited by Doris Fuchs and Friedrich Kratochwil, follows the latter approach. It is concerned with the use and function of both concepts as discursive formations within international studies. The second wave of globalization studies, which challenges the taken-for-granted theories and approaches of the 1990s regarding the origins and consequences of globalization, provides the background for this investigation (Garrett 2000; Scholte 2000; McGrew and Held 2002). Transformative Change and Global Order tries to illuminate some of the false theoretical starts as well as the empirical deadlocks that have harmstrung the academic debate about globalization and the closely related but more policy-oriented concept of global governance. The book provides a useful overview of the myths that characterized, and still partly shape, the study of globalization and its purported effects on international and domestic politics. Fuchs and Kratochwil's principal aim is to reintroduce plain and simple politics into the dominant technocratic discourse on globalization and global governance. In her introduction, Fuchs laments that academic accounts of globalization are beset with differences in conceptualization, focus, and underlying ideological belief systems. This situation leads to assessments of the implications of global governance that are fundamentally at odds with each other. The first part of Transformative Change and Global Order is thus devoted to the task of inserting some order into the academic debate. Friedrich Kratochwil addresses the major concepts and metaphors that have been causally related to the onslaught of globalization. In congruence with recent empirical studies (Garrett 1998; Mosley 2003), he systematically debunks such notions as a “race to the bottom” with respect to …

Globalization and Cholera: Implications for Global Governance

Plague and pestilence have become an increasingly popular theme since the end of the Cold War among policymakers, journalists, fic tion writers, and film directors searching for new threats to personal and national security. Ill health and, in particular, infectious diseases have generated a spate of popular, and often alarmist, literature.1 This has been accompanied by growing high-level concern within governments and the medical community with global health issues that threaten national inter ests.2 The emphasis in many of these discussions has been on emerging health threats that are perceived to pose potentially sudden and serious dangers to public health. We begin this essay with the premise that the process of globalization has particular impacts on health and that there is a clear need to better un derstand and more effectively respond to these impacts. However, with out underplaying the dangers posed by health emergencies caused, for ex ample, by the genetic mutation of viral agents or epidemics of emerging infectious diseases, we seek to develop a broader understanding of the his torical and structural factors behind the health challenges posed by glob alization. As we discuss later, globalization can be defined as a process that is changing the nature of human interaction within a range of social spheres. Globalization's impact on health can be seen as part of a longer historical process firmly located in social change over decades, and per haps centuries, rather than recent years. From this perspective, an understanding of global health issues at the turn of the twenty-first century could benefit substantially from the volu minous literature on globalization from international relations, including the subfields of social and political theory and international political econ omy. This is a rich and highly relevant literature. It documents what struc tural changes are occurring toward a global political economy, how power relationships are embedded within this process of change, what varying impacts this may have on individuals and groups, and to what extent global governance could effectively mediate this process. These issues counterbalance the strong focus in the health literature on biom?dical re search, information systems, and other technical solutions. Although