3214- Global Governance Flashcards
(36 cards)
There is no widely agreed definition of global governance but many geographers describe it as a movement rather than an entity and others refer to it as a concept. The commission on Global Governance describes it as
The sum of the many ways individuals and institutions, public and private manage their global affairs
The commission on global governance’s description of global governance goes beyond the obvious regulatory institutions- the range of so-called actors managing global affairs includes
Nation states, profit-making companies, international and regional organisations (such as the EU) and their participation in this process may be reactive or proactive
Global governance is essentially an
International process of consensus-forming which generates guidelines and agreements ‘governing’ the actions of those same players
What are the 3 actors that manage global affairs?
- National governments
- TNCs
- International organisations
Explain how National governments reactively and proactively manage global affairs
- reactive= legislate and invest to implement international initiatives, laws or agreements e.g. UK gov’s recent support for renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuels is in part a response to the new EU laws on dirty power stations
- proactive= lobby and contribute to international discussions, votes and decisions e.g. some National govs have more influence than others on the UN Security Council and often take leadership roles in conflict resolutiom
Explain how TNCs reactively and proactively manage global affairs
- reactive= adopt new codes of conduct imposed by legislation or socio-economic pressure e.g. in the wake of collapse of the eight-storey Rana Plaza building near Dhaka, in Bangladesh in 2013, clothing company primary paid compensation and provided emergency aid to the victims of the disaster
- proactive= sponsor and support work of NGOs and international organisations e.g. tobacco companies such as British American Tobacco and others sponsor anti-smoking NGOs within LICs such as South-east Asia to publicise health risks of smoking thereby protecting themselves from the sorriso of law suits seen in HICs in recent decades
Explain how International organisations reactively and proactively manage global affairs
- reactive= respond to global events to offer advice to national governments and publicise the work of NGOs already on the ground e.g. the WHO was late to offer guidance on how to contain the Ebola virus in the early stages of the recent epidemic in West Africa
- proactive= sponsor, facilitate and publicise international issues and agreements to address them e.g. in 2013, the UNI Global Union, in alliance with leading NGOs sponsored and created the legally binding Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, to protect working conditions in the ready-made garment industry = signed by 200 clothing companies in over 20 countries
So, in short, global governance refers to the ways in which
global affairs affecting the whole world are managed
In international relations generally, decisions are made by individual state governments. Co-operation is usually negotiated between countries, which agree to abide by
Similar rules given in signed treaties or international laws
As the world becomes more interdependent, global economic governance is increasingly important for
Achieving sustainable development across all nations; this is especially true for governance at the global commons where environmental sustainability is at the forefront of our concerns, not least our utilisation of the continent of Antarctica
Regarding regulating global systems, in this increasingly economically integrated world, some argue that governments are losing their influence and that ________ now have more power to control resources, capital and labour
Corporations
In response to the acceleration of interdependence between countries the therm ‘global governance’ is often used to name the process of
Designating laws, rules or regulations intended to manage global systems e.g. laws governing international trade
In recent years, global governance has focused on a number of international issues:
- reducing environmental problems
- trade and investment inequities
- civil conflict
- human rights violation
- reduction of poverty
- financial instability
Regarding international development and global governance what does NGO stand for?
Non-government organisations
Regarding international development and global governance what does SDGs stand for?
Sustainable development goals
Regarding international development and global governance what does UNDP stand for?
United Nations Development Programme
Regarding international development and global governance what does UNEP stand for?
United Nations Environment Programme
Regarding international development and global governance what does WHO stand for?
World Health Organisation
Regarding international development and global governance what does WSSD stand for?
World Summit on Sustainable Development
Regarding international development and global governance what does WTO stand for?
World Trade Organisation
A number of organisations take responsibility for promoting growth, stability and the development of all regions sustainably, both
Economically and environmentally
Many of the organisations operating internationally are connected to the United Nations such as the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Despite the existence of the UN, there is no ‘world government’ with the political authority to exercise jurisdiction over executive, legislative or military affairs for the whole planet. The UN has a mainly advisory role: its purpose is to
Foster co-operation between state governments, rather than exerting authority over them—>
Similarly, international organisations such as the WTO and the WHO exist to take responsibility for managing specific aspects of an increasingly inter-related world such as regulating the rules of trade or dealing with international public health issues
There are also a number of different NGOs with varying objectives, but generally either to
Ensure justice and equality for people across the world, or to campaign for environmental sustainability —>
The international strength and support for some of these organisations means that they have the authority to challenge the excesses of negative TNC impacts and of governments supporting them