Global systems and global governance - definitions Flashcards
What are benefits?
The advantages/positive impacts of something (social, economic, environmental, etc).
What is geopolitics?
How relationships between geographical, economic and political factors impact on political decisions and international relations and therefore affect the use and control of territory and resources.
What are global commons?
A region, resource or natural property of Earth beyond the exclusive control of individual nation states and requiring common governance and management by the international community.
What is global governance?
The system and institutions that coordinate the behaviour of international agencies, facilitate cooperation, resolve disputes and improve global decision-making.
What is globalisation?
The process whereby individual national economies, societies and cultures are increasingly integrated through advances in communication and transport technology, international trade and movement of peoples.
What is international trade?
The exchange of capital, goods and services across international borders. An individual country’s exports are outbound to other countries; imports are inbound from other countries.
What is labour?
A factor of production incorporating human effort and ingenuity into the production, trade and consumption of goods and services.
What is Latin America?
A commonly used term to describe the countries in the Americas found to the south of the continental United States, including Central America, South America and the islands of the Caribbean where the dominant languages derive from Latin (mainly Spanish and Portuguese). Some see the use of this term as problematic due to its use homogenising the region and using a characterisation of language that originates from colonisation.
What is a non-governmental organisation (NGO)?
A non-profit, voluntary citizens group with a common interest in pursuing political goals, organised on a local, national or international scale.
What are norms?
The shared values, traditions and customs that govern individual and group behaviour in a society.
What is Sub-Saharan Africa?
A term collectively describing countries in Africa located mainly south of the Sahara Desert. The dividing line has origins in colonial ideas of race, separating the predominately Arab states of North Africa, which colonists considered to be more developed from the rest of Africa. This term replaced racist phrases such as ‘Black Africa’ that were used up until the 1950s.
What is a transnational corporation (TNC)?
Large businesses that operate in several different countries and commonly allocate different productions functions to different types of country – for example in terms of assembly, research and development, and decision taking.
What is the United Nations (UN)?
An international organisation founded in 1945 consisting of 193 member states with the aim of maintaining international peace, security and cooperation. It self-defines as “one place where the world’s nations can gather together, discuss common problems and find shared solutions.”
What is the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)?
A global authority for the environment with programmes focusing on climate, nature, pollution and sustainable development. UNEP’s mission is “to inspire, inform, and enable nations and people to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.”
