..

..i.i
,) ::. t.

lr..l,,-
g,

bal
Governance

Thomas G. Weiss and Ramesh .lhakur

There is no global goverruoent. yer,

that defi:re, constitute and. rnediate trals-border.
on any
gi.ren day, mail is delivered across 'bo.d.r., relations between states, cultu-es, cinzens,
pu'ople travel from one irrtergovernmental and oorr-gor"r,..-"r.rnl
a. ,,,i1'iefy
of tansport modes; and ser-
goodsvia
country to another
organizations and the mar.ket - the wielders;
vices are freighted across hnJ, u",,"u ;; and the objects of the exercise or"international
and a whole range oforher pubiic power..There is a ,crazy quift, of
cross_y1O;rslacel authonty (Rosenau, 1999:293) thar is con_
Doroer aqtruties take place ir: reasonablc stantly shifting and the patchwork of insri_
expectatiou of reliable, ;ti; *d,a;;: tutional elements varies by sector. Ali actors
vice for thg people, groups, finrs and depeud upon multilateralism and the under-
writing of regularity and public goods in thc
;;";;
tronal domain than
lents involved. in some countri",,iu,
Disruptions are rare _tdeed, international system. But if they are to
m manyhave
shouid effective
ustauces and firactioniag
less &equent gov_
in theintema_ remain viabie, iaterrrationai organizaiions
emments. That is, international t *u"t]orn and the values of multilateraiisuiembeddeci
are nlptcally characterized by order,stability ur them must be reconstituted in line with
aod predictability. This is puzzling:H";;'. twenty-fust century principles of govern-
the world governed even in the abJenceof a ance and legitimacy. Just as irnportantly,
world govemment in order they must be capable of addressing contem_
nonns,to prod.uce
cooes ol conduct and regulatory surveillancc porary challenges effectively. This rnay
and compliance instunrents? How arevalues
involve moving beyond the original ,oots oi
allocated quasi-authoritarively fo,,1,*o.iJ today's multilateral order, reassessing the
and'accepted as such, without a governrnent values on which muitilateralism is based
r.' ruie rhe world? and promoted and recogn izing tnat. contem-
fhe answer lies in ,globai govemance,:ithe
sLi-criaws, nonns, policies and instih:tions
porary and prospectjve chalienges call
,of for- more agility, nimbleness, flexibilit_v,
 494 THE SAGE HANDEOOK OF GLOBALIZATION
adaptability and antrcipation rather than
reaction.
There is no €asily identifiable ,cente, or
'periphery' i-n temrs of authority, but the
Uoited Nations ([Ilri) system with uni.zersal
state nen:bershitri'. and mechanisms .for1
rnvolvrng non-state actors comes as close is
.ve have.to a cental clearinghouse for rnfor-
mation and action. The lIN.is both a globirl
governance actor and site (Thakur, 201i).
One part bf the United Nations is anintbrna-
tional bureaucracl'' r67i16 many failings' and
flaws and a forum often used for finger
pointi"g, not problem'solving. Too often has
it demodstrated a failure to tackle urgent
ollective-action problems due to instirution-
c
alized ilability, rncapacity or unwiiliagness.
No state can be confident of being protected
agarnst 'he predatory instircts of a powerful
neighboul or global giant, and no group of
people can feel free from fear and want
because the United Nations exists and
because ofwhat it does.
Yet the rvorld body remains the embodi_
ment of the iatemationai comniunity of
states, the focus of intemational
"*pi"tu_tions and the locus
symbol of action
of collective as the
an imagined and constructed
community of stangers. In the theatre of
world politics, the IIN has had either star
billing or supportLrg roles in preventiag ano
managing conflicts, regulating armaments.
champiouing human rights and international
humanitdrian law, ,libeizting the colonized,
providing economic an,l technical aid in
new'ly lib-erated countries, organiziag elec-
tions, empowenng women, educatin!chit-
dren, feeding' the hungry, shelteCg,the
dispossessed and'displacea, housinitie
refi.igees, tendrng to the sick andcotlriinat-
iag disaster relief and assistaace.
a:ra att,of
this occurs cnthe
Moreover, a 2417 basis. since ].945dem_
IIN rec<lrd
aa rrnder-appreciated capacitv for
:::.or":
iastitutionai idaptation
pollcy uloovarion,
and organizationai. learning, fo.
with respect to peacekeepiug missions."io*pf"
policy innovation, the very word ,peacekeen-
urg'does uor appearLn ,U, bi
tn, Cfrl*.. ,"iT.
the-inost chqracteristic LIN activity in peace
and security. And the United.Nations has
moved from the simpte andtaditioaal opera-
tions of classical, consen{ibased missio to
the more challenging pease operations ir1
of cor,pbx numinitariL emergen-
,situdtidns
cies. ' On institritional' adaptation, the
Departmeat of peacekeeping, Operations
(DPKO) wai not part.of tha, orisinal U-N
Secretariat stucture, and the peacebirilding
Commission was added to the overall mix in
^this century. On organi"stional learoilg, eas-
ily the best report of any on peacekeepiag,
most of whose recommendations were
accepted and have been implemented. was
the Brahimi Report of 2000 (Brahimi, 2000).
That said, without continual structural and
procedural refoims in the world organiza_
tion, the legitimacy and performance deficits
will accumulate andbethere will
an iniensi-
$,ing crisis of confidence within ttre interna-
tional system of organized multilateralism
cented on the United Natio"! (Newman,
Thakur and Tiriian, zOfjOl.:iU" *rra, *j
institutions of formali2ed multilaieralism as
currently constituted dre neither optimaiiv
effective nor ldgitiinate. fn"ar-ftiiri-
eral organizations do not meet "ni"fcurrent stand_
ar.ds cf representivify, coriien!,
iuriaicaf
accountability, mle of iaw, broad participa_
tron and transparency _ and therefore poliri_
precis ely becaus e internatioaat orga. i r21isr.
cai legitimacy. is an' acute
Thisimportant p.obl"*
play an increasingly and infusive
role in people,s lives. the more thishappens.
the morg people
will reatjze thut *"Ld[;;i]
value-ladea, connoting fundamental
"q atrld
1,
political choices regairdingihe:o:ral
Datance between the market and
eouitu_
-hl.* rights, governance and a"*;e11.:r.
Many-public policy decisions and pracrices
nave been kansferred to the international
level, raising i nirab6r ofpr"rriaiirlCalil"l
chall.enges to the Westphi-ii* fd;;;;:;;
mr.rtfitateralism as citizens become
riehts
deemidtod;;-;;H:
h_oldgrs and states are
sibilities ofsovereigaty.,r I I--1r;"-
The challenge to multilatcral.values ,and
iastitutions of results not merely
to,r, xoy
THE UNITED NATIONS MEETS
TiIE TWENTY.FIRST CENTURY

supplies any of this. Nonetheless, theworld

body remains humar*ind,s mosi ambitlou,
orgamzational effort to ,oi.r" t *r_Uil;;
problems, andit can and must be adaptecl to
meet this century,s challenges. Ti,r;, it l;
esseutial to examine how the IINmeers rhe
twenty-fust cenfury.
The United Nations is not a nascenr world
government, but it has and can continuero
contribute to improving global governance.
This chapter explores neither the compli_
cated United Nations Organization itself v)ith
headquarters ia New yirk and ;t, f ZO.OOO
peacekeeping soldiers, nor the LII{ systenrof
specialized agencies, progralrunes anri bod_
ies with country offices worldwide (Weiss
et al., 2014, Weiss and Daws, 2007) Uur
task is rathe-r to .*piore the idea of global
' governance, and the {,Ilr|'s role in franung
and contributing to improrements arra tnI
anomalies in the internaiional system that
have provided openings for'the spieua of ttris
concept. We conclude by discussing the

- UN's 'ideational roler, n9w packaging fir the

world organization,s tong-stanOiig ttrll""-
" tual or creative capacit'es in globai gir.ro*."
(Jolly, Euunerij and,Weiss, 2009).

GLOBAT GOVERNANCE, THE IDEA

One way to think of 'governance, is as pul-

poseful systems of rules or nonns that ensure
order beyond what occurs ,naturallv'. Ir, the

domestic context, got,errrance is usualLy

more than government, implying sharerl
social purpose and goal orientation as well ls
formal authority or police powers. Globrl
governance is a ruies-based order without
government. Conseqqently, in international
politics, what little organizational shuctur..e
exists is amorphous -.and even nr.orally sus_
pect for those fearing a giobal leviaihan. In a
domestic context, governance is goverament
plus additional mechanisms to ensure order
and predictability in prbblem solving. For-rhe
planet, however, governance is the entir.e
story because.there is no central authoriw

Moreover, the nefwork of instifutior,s and

irl
 492 THE SAGE HANDBOOK OF GLOBALIZATION

rules provides appearances of effective gov-

ernance but without the desiied effects, yet,
not unlike national governments, the LIN
represents a strucfure'of authority that rests
on institutionalized state prdctices and gener-
aliy accepted nonns (tlurd , 1999 , 2OO7).
To state the obvious, the starting poir:t is
that governance for the planet is weak. No
matter how stong informal and formal net_
workS, no matter how copious the resources
from private organizations and corporations.
no matter how much goodwill from govern-
ments, the st-iking,"atity is that tlieie is no
central authority and.preicious little enforce-

ment. Giobal gor"ro"n"" is not a suppiement

but rather a kind of surrogat6 for a-utho;tv
anci enforcement
for the, bontemporary w6rfj.
The result is that the governed that is, the-
LII.I member states - question the legitimacy
of the rules promulgated if they do not agre.
with them; and when they fail to implement
or comply with tb.e rules there is little
enforcement capacity available
to compel
them to do so. Consequently, however useful
as a heuristic device to explain complex mul--rl.
titateral and tr-ans.uatio;ir i i"t.t-;cti;;,
basic challenge is whether giobal govemance
without a worid govemment can actually
address adequately'the range of probliiru
faced by humanity.
While efforts to solve problems beyond
state borders since the ri".;.";1;;;#;;;
a-ntecedents of global goverrrzrnce,
th" Lifih
of the expression reflectb an rnbiguing mar_
riage between academic,and poliJv
"ol""r".in the 1990s. It
replacerl ao
u,hich were seen as "arU".
overly"*ofo*_ tion *j
top_do*, of what was
cailled .world order studies,.
static, failing to capture ttre iiaiietyof u.to.r,
nerworks and relationships that .-h*u"t".,.r.
contemporary iaternational r.lutloos.
it " AN UNFINISHED JOURNEY'-:,._..:.,i,1ri,i,:.i
end of the Cold War creared uoorro.t.oi* . ,l . ..:j)i:-: .J.:
Rosehau and Ernst Czempiel prbL"h;;
fol a different world order. In 1992,th;;
j;;: Th3 s.t9V of'liobal goverriahce
,essaysthboretical collection
it ofCirrrao* uilmrshed journey:, remains wearii stmq-
becdriSe an
w h o ut Cot ernment.(Rosenau and C;;;i;i to flnd'ow wdi,anilare ii6*hei6fTgrblr
rno.rn-gaSatisfacltoryidesthat*6d,gaSua j;
on Global
199a.. Governance,s
ID 1995 rtportCo;;i;;
thepolicy_oriented OurGtobat
itrei ghboto*ood was published o*T S6lidarity,across,boitiers
tran_ and
fC.._irri* scencttng national perspectives .and
worLing
THE uNlrED NATroNs
MEETs THE TWENT'.F,Rsr
cE,rJTuRy
i:t.I -.-

and task of creating the necessary

global institu_
be easier tna" ,,,uiyjj.ons ;i il;;:,
.noay
,s
,uberal conFlentators believe,.
leey+rn8 with.Dante Monarchia at the
of .tbg fourrpparh century, thereisfr9l.n11g
of, airtrcL:urg tr," oirti.,e
:*:lg-or*qfp
empues and then state system (atthat tirne
only European) and rgplaci"gii
*itf
goygnupeuj (Mazower, 2012). " ",,1_yersl
Harold
Jacobson. note$ a fiU!4girrrage for the older
,:rtY
?{ yotlg,goyqr,ggrent in the rapestries in
rne yalals des Nations inGeneva _ the head_
gualt-ers of the Lpagqe of Nations and
oo*
I]N
lheihar
s European office. He obs._"d

mey 'prcfure thq process of htrmanirycom_

?mrog Jxto eyer larger and more stable units
,l9t T" purpose of govemance - first the fam-
rly, theu the tribe,"theuthe city_stateand then
the. uation . - ,a process which presunablv
would entire
. world eventually.
berng combined culminate ia'theunit,
i.u oqe political
(Jacobson, 1984: g4). Alexandpr Wendt
suggests that l3,vysi16
J;i;
i?093_) -;;;;;_
ble'. However. desirable,,such an evennraiiry
fanciful. mjxnue of
Bicausstoaavoia
.
appears
ut?Pia an$ gowelWhy?
are required stag-
natron aad de.spau, but., internationalg oue.i_
ment rs urpossible so long as power,which
is an
condition of, gor"**"ni. i,-esseqtial
organised nationally' (Carr, t lO+:t OS;.
ce4ainly are not couplaceut about.We,
what rs at stake or satisfied that globalgov_
emance can accomplish what aworid govem_
me,nt could. Our immediate aim,how-ever, is
tounderstand the contemporary natureof
efforts to heip enhance ordpr in int"*"tiorrui
relatjons and to improve ,the frameworkof
ruies, institufions and practices that setlimirs
and give r4cendves for.the behaviourof r"ai_

vidrals, organizations and firms, (IJ}{ti

I 999:18), Henc€, wp.sp€cifically,targei*tio^
rqat airn to.be:oomprehejusive
and n'ot merelv
prec.emeal, thai are multi-sectoral,dernocrati _

cally accountable and inclusive of civllsoci_

efy in the shared management of a troubleci
and fragile world order. Jn short,the goal is a
stable, peaceful, prosperous and well_ordered
mtemational society of'the type thatHedlev
Bull (1977) sought. Such a state-basedorde,
 494 THE SAGE HANDBOOK OF GLOBALIZATION

seems the maximum conceivable in the

absence of a uniffing globzil authority;butwe
bear in mind the coacemh of more democratic
forsrs of global'govemance that pieoccupy
some analpts :(Held and.McGro>ri,' ZOOi;
Nussbaum, 2006).
Global governance ieflects fhe reali2ation
that states and siate-cdntric'institutions do
not hhve the tapacity'to address thb chal-
lenges that render borders ever more porous.
Several expose the ti:riited'abitiry of staEi to
control outcomeb through self-help. How'can
we iinprove the provisibn of essential elobal
public goods in an aiirilcfrical societyiHow
do we develop 'the'cipacity to get 'tlings
done' (Czemp iel,- 1992: iiOy-witnout [i3ra"r-
chical international institutionb wittr enforce_
meDt capacity and with no prospects for their
creation on the horiz6n? To date. tbe svstem
of global governance has not met the test that
'it must channel behavioru'in such a wav as
to elinrihaite dr sdbStantiatty *lrietioratelAe
problem that'led to;its.
irerrtion! CV"**,1994:' 30).
Even' withcirit, :i world Lii+U#
m-ent, theie is mrrcfi rooh foi tofe iirlh"tirL,
from gove'rrlments aad groups iil poWA4ibet_
ter incentiveSi,and lnitiativei tciin st cr6ilifi_
ats anti cMl, society =. in hhort, :b.tt.,
Nations' (st6fisi
mobili2ati'oh ion6,tie' of the
decrekrriats:, and
.threel ioci-
civii,Uaiied
ety) in better:,grivrirnarice for the pl'daet
(Weiss,'Carafauairi anf Joily, 2009): ,i

;.).l,ti .,t ). j :.iii,, y,' n, . ;.,

i'-,r- :'r
:'GLOBAIIZATION,'
'r'::.'.',: j
".1
.iir,;ri:111.1..'..: j ', ;, ..,

tn t!i1 S,<Cf Handbooli;sy Gtbbatimtion, we

wby{itr be reriisiabt to offe},our ouriisiort
inteirpr,etation of rhe -procesro of i"LnJ
The,primary riinrension 0f
globalizatig:r conpernis the ocpansion-Lnte.rc.gnngcAviV.
of ,eco_
no-ic actiyities across,sfate borders: the srow-
rng volume and variety of orosr.Uora"r
no?s of
nnance,,rnvesfrrrente goods and services;.ideas.
mlormation,- legalisystems, o4anizatiotb andof
diffi:sion
technology;.andq,{tml
people; ;tfte ppid,and,Widespread
"*oir"g"r.
a_.-,
,;-lVany,reBaid,globalizatiora, ui UotU desir_
able aod an irreversibl. __ _--_ :."
ilt
_

it15Y.+r+lcr"1DEsLul
J""rtn employleqt has generatea
"ogio" "f
""
;*"J,i ;;;;i;
 THE UNITED NATIONS MEETS
THE TWENry-FIR5T CENTURY
49s

of labour and,tlepressed real wagesin manv

Many international relations
llll$::; ii*, .clob4ization- hu' ;;
specialists
now prefer ,glgbal govemance,, tirestruc_
itdgietyl, force!' hke tures of which arb anything butsfatic. Rules,
ugs, people hnd guncople ano
iar"
flows (Heire yegufations, instituti'bns-';J, ;;;;;i,
have evolved considerlibly sincethe [IN,s
'crdaids lloseit is wetl gstatlishment,
m a number of te.chriical
utreas
i
Even critics ir""f "*r."-rfr^,

and regulati"r. fb, i[ip;];; ;J'#i,I-

_ suclias rules
ool1l, air'fligiits,,j th6.,steindardization of
wearhersystemsl,and,stitistics and the.docu..
, mentation ofepidbmiological hends global
-
govemance has' demoiistrited itsvalue.
for telecommunications and postal.Indeed,
services, some. bf tliese arrbnge*""o'lli
back to the nineteentt, .art"rv, ii.ir*e"*i"
ties for technical'coordination nrrf i""uro"
obvious. By 1914 over tfrlrry.rirrt, ir,rilru_
tions exisied anfl by the end ,;f tn" t*arrrr;"tt,
ceufury- huridreds more' (Murphy, 2000:
" =) -,
47-g).'',", ,.. .:

What happened in the nineieenth cenfurv,?

. Iatemational institutions sprouted their roots
as sovereign states"madeurrann.*eno
""*brougit ubout
for ttre increased"inteiactions
by the Indushial'Revohttion. hr his classic
Swcrds into plowsh:ares, [ris CfurJ.aiilij
identified tlree major dlvelopments. ii,;;
beginning of the nineteenth century, the fust
AN+TISTORIC:ATi PERSPECTIVE
ii,,i,1l.rt',! ], ''1",,,..;i I lr)l_jl l : .,_
concert system of multilateral, high_level
,
politiCal gatherings suchth" bo;;;;i ;i
",
Vienua #as devised, which esta-ilish"a
u,e customarily, ,assc
'diplomacy by
conference, among
form of The Hague system, rvhose goal was athe
nationai [onemmints
Europeanmembership
universal powe;a. At. conference
the end ofsystem that
the'nine-
teeuth century
would came the to
meet regularly second stand
build in the
a peaceful
world politics based on.law and reasoned
deliberation, as weU as to consider specific
problems or crises. Echoes of bothar"
,."r".rt
in the [IN's structure of tf,e Securitv
i;;;ii
an<i General Assembly, ,"rp"",ir"fu. Tfr.
third development was ihe cre-ation of public
international unions. ,Whereas botil tfre
Concert-and The Hague,r.eflected the signifi-
cance ofthe quest for security and the ilipor_
of high political issues, this tlira
tance
phenomenon was a manifestation of the
increasing complexity of the eco4oruic,
 496 THE SAGE HANDBOOK OF GLOBALIZATION

social, teibnical, ind cultural interconnections Woods ids

of the pe-oples of thr modern world,(Claude,
197l:34). Eiamples include the Intdrnational lnoiaen Wi ri
. r ii:,')l,r.tri
ts much to
IelegraphiC Union,''founiJed in (ilow
1g6-{- tional oi
the Interuational Telbcommunications Union)
'blt thg $rt
and the Univercal postal Union, established
;n, 1874. Claude emphasizesthat such institu_ phenopen, a
tion.l, were llesq the work of idealists with

schemes to advance than of realists with

problcms to handle', They expanded the sub_
ject maiter gf intemational relations bevond
war.lnd pealei'ana initeEd of diplomats,
suntsters,and heads of state, actions. were
h:r4ed bv,er tp tg'ctnical e4perts and intema-
,!.olul - civil servants ,' adaii echoed in the

On the one hand, we seek io make clear that

the auteiedents and growing components.of a
r.vorkrng system of global govemance cante
fr-rr.nd in,the previous two centuries even if the
term itself aud lts cunent intellectual taction
grew in th9 1990s. ptr the otherhand, manyof

today's life-threatening problims _ from

nuclear prolifer4tion to climate chauge, from
qoverty to human rights aFusg _ require solu_
flons that are b6yond our currert global insti-
tuhonal capacities; and so, we must be careful

not to indicate too much continuity with the

past. Murphy's breaklhrough *o;t;"i;;"j
u'.ternational organiz6li6ns could be consid_
1e{ .so.qerlhat'old-fas,hioned' by iporing
the kinds ofinfonnal'netrvorts and grJupin;-
fr1, .*." part 9f con-t9lpporary##;"J
retations. At the, scime time, some observers
would undoubtedly judge our bmplasis,ontt
IINsystem as ,old-fashioned':because "
emphasize tne staie-c€ntric *u
Urf"a-N*#
when so n-rauy otrer bodies _
Union, NGOs. multihational ,h"il;;
are nor otrly.'c-ent"al to "6*"ti;;:
"orr"-pJo[-gi"l"r
governance brit often moresupple-as well
(KerLnedy, 2005).' refrain frpm
Wr specifically characteriz_
mg grobal governbni6 as a nbwintemationai
llluuolt'pfladie,4 to'rqilace Westpharian
:".y"I:ic"ry.**+ill"iu"'rrrei"efi '#il[
Ulili the
fu1Charter,s,open_
.._Y",
1o:,p"gples' .
infl htres, the world biganizalie6,and-other
palts of the tIN system and theBretton
THE UNITED NATIONs MEETS
THE TWENTY.F'RST CENTURY 497

on the

Developing,Norms. ,

Orrce a ttrreat or problern has been identified

and diagnosed, the United Nations helps to
solidify a uew norm of behaviour, often
through the sumnrit conferences and intema-
tionai panels and commissions. Human
beings are sbcial actors; nomls are essential
to the funcfioning and exi,ctence of sociery;
therefore so.cial interactio', is viewed through

aorrradve l"*e,!, trom bilateral relatiois

berwgel trvg ind-ividryls to relatious among
nadgna! leaders.,Once infonnation has been
coiiected ald kno.yv.ledfe gained that a prob-
lem rs seriots enough to waqanr attention by
th9. intemationql policy community, new
norms need to be articulated, dissemiaated
and institutionalized, For example, once we
kngw that HIV/AIDS is nansmirted through
unprotected sexual activifi the nonn of safe
498 THE SAGE HANDBOOK OF GLOBALIZATION

Thq reason,for: the, disqonn, ect, lies primar-

-
ilyin.differcall,moral:f, amJworks,,oisocial
behaviour, .At the :iaftrnaionali.ovel, oneiof
the most,likely arpn4q forl nortrratiye, disso_
.

,,, nancp is,hqp16o,,rig[6,

ibqe"4rser i altsrBative
moral frameworks define.aod iqcate the rigbrs
and,pgponsibilities ofindigiduals,,i communi-
ties and states yrSrArvis
a[othen
oD:e Again,
intenrational,law. rhas, moveii, ahead of nJrms
and practices in large parts of the vrorld _
from honour killing in,the Mddle,B451 ,o
caste'and dowry deathsiin,south Asia; female
genitalmutilatioa. in Africa.,and:,intemationai
crimirial justice visi-d-vis the tlnited, States..
The:,crUcial question is ,how ,.66n1ss1s6
norms becorhe institutionatized. both wirhin
and among states and the interactiye,dl"nam-
ics of the process of institutionalization
at tle
national, regional and global ievels.
Intematioaal D.orrrls :
c?n be.tratrsmitted down
into national politics autl rincorporatediato
domestib lawS,or into,the policy. prbfere.nces
of:politicaL leaders,thrbughlbliie iea:rdag,,lt
is :ronly :ft16u$h,,sAtO Cfu0hrfes-,*nioiigh
govemmen8,*i that interuatisnal norms
"c.zrn
be,.t,integratedr lntcirr dom tic. .standads.
Intemationai norm dtftision:is not; theretbre,
about the, state witheringr away. Indeed,the
.

United Nations.as, a forura haS promulgatea r

norms with rhe consert. of most *"Lb".

stgtes; and this, process, sustains, :noterodes,

the prerogatiyes Of soyereignSl . ., . -'

 THE uNrrED NATroNs
MEErs rHE TWENry-FTRST ceruiunv 499

causes. of HIV/AIDS, eucoumge educational

.9v,e personnel in
and zero tolerance of

tp conv.ene ant **rit *ia"ry

tt Multilut6rali# no long.i ao*.tns qovernments

atone but is now multifac'eted, involvingmany
Foups (Third fhD.
dissemination olten service this new way ol i,vbrking;
2 lt must become anloWard:lo-oking or network
organization. catalyzihg the relationihipsneedeA
to get-strong results and;not letting the traditions
of its fQrmal processes:le.ba'rriers;-
;
3
^
lt must strengthen-globat governance bvadvo-
. cating upiversality,.inilupion, participation
anO
accountability at.el! levp,s; and
- It must engage ,mg{e systematically with world
' p.ublic opinion to become moreresponsive, to help

shape public attitridii and to Uofit., ,rppori iJr

f\ Jyommgndation's and proposats from

such blue-ribbon panels as well as fromsec_
- retariats ofteri wither and die becausemem_
ber states, not the authoJs, are responsiblefor
iexi steps, Howeveq ,"pqrt,
,ofi;il;;;;
available when'a crisis arises that facilitates
actipn, As fate would have it,oi-tf,"
**V
recommendations from the Cardosorepor_t
vzere implemented alniost i**"aiut.iyrn'il.
response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
(W"irl-.*j
Thakua 201Q; ?3_6). The rnas_
sive relief effort showea the fff.lt abititvto
convene an! foqtei muiti-constitu"r.r-;r;: *i
capactty to
cesses., its ability
exercise global
to chtalyse networks ir,
Ieadership.
However, with urgency.gone, a.more severe
test was the world organization,s abilityto
carry ou.t the rest of the.report,,oplrr_
-or"
tional proposals conceming global go,r"r_
nance and civil society gver the longerrun,
 500 THE SAGE HANDBOOK OF GLOBALIZATION

to institutionaliie fue procedures adopted for

the mcment,

In stituti onaI i zi ng I dea s

krstitutions provide another example of, the

impact of ideas. Some seven decades into the

tlNt history virtually every problem has sev-

eral global institutions working.on sisnifi catrt
aspects of solutions. Actors in world'politics
can aud do cooperdte, and &ey. do so more
often than they engage in ' ioriflict.
I-ntergwenrmental organizptions.qan help" to
facilitate joint action by sharing intbrnation,
taqs action..cgsts, providing ince,ntives
Sducing
for concessions aud establishing mechanisms
for dispute resolution and. agred decision-
making procesQes.,:In{titutions can facilitate
problem solving ev€n though thoy do not pos-
sess any coercive powers, In particular, IGOs
can increase,the number of productive interac-
tions among theii member stAtes that can in
tum help build confidence and:bt'idges for other
relations. Once created aird because thev pr6m-
ise benefi$ in one arena of technical

"oop"*-tion,
organizatioo-*''fooo"J by, rd; a;';;
*re seeds for additional cooperation- in short,
they can take on lives oftheir orvn.
Johr Ruggle.has
regimes have beenexplained,
defined asfiptematignal
social institu-
tions aro',nd wnicil actor expectations con-
verge in' a 'giveu ur"u oi intemationaf
relations',,which ! ireite . an' intersubiective
ewoik of ine6ning' (Ruggie, f e'g2: t eO.
Irutitutional regimeS' are irirpo:rtant bec'ause
material cdpacities,and stujcturei alljfr6 can_
not piedict the order,od bu.rrr"
"iiutearegime ionteiit is
Ftrfihermore,
sdcially ionstrLcted.
\uggr" argues that change can
come from power'or from social pumJSe (or
sense of legitimacj;; and'that-ort "il*g" i,
gradual, consistihg:of a change in theinitm_
ments used tci acbieve objectives, ratherthan
social. purposE:,Regimes enhance continuitv
because ihe sontea.tl of regimesmay remain .
stabie even'when ,the power distibuti;
chhngbs;',As :.with forma{ ,
o*ddi;i#;
' iatemational regimes..alter

tU. rJfatiu.
ot'transactions, (I(eohane, 2002: 135). "osi,
 THE UNITED NATIONs
MEETs THE TWENTY.FIRsT
CENTURY

slstel of prefereaces
for, less industialized
CONCIUSI0N: THE UN,s IDEATIONAT
Ro,tEr THE IWENW:FfnSI
ciruiun?i
CHATTENGE

Ih.r:" T.ryo impo'rtant features that distin_

ftom earlie.-"tt
quish. ,globatr govemarlce
,l*hg about collecti"u,r"rpoo."i' ;;H;]
peace qnd security,
i1]:,i"t ni""", ,ig"}r,l*a
devetopment. Fi$t, rnany viewea
Int.-r_
uonal cooperation and law asmore
tnan.solated effo4s and the"n"",i""
i9w of ti:e iunqte.
r:ut lt trom
Itsell effects.
was still coming
typical fromoutside irs
for a stare
to solueA"
borders. While events,liki ,rr"or,
of Archduke Franois Ferdinand "rr*ri*r,",
probJems on its own, or
at least to inrriuo
Adolf I{itier,s oocupation A",i,j"""l.ra
;;il;;;
"fin 1939 engulfed much
other problems were effectively
of tir" *o.fa.-ral"J
"dd.;;r;;;; a
, single states.
geo,graphic :Eradicating,,malaria
area'and.pfeveuting within
those with it
to,"
is differeni

" 3.::-::*c 9* Kofianlun

rr"iiie LIIrI secretary.general
former
h terronst money 1aundering or acidrarn,
called-'problems,without whicf,
passporls,
?p.tLy
(Aanan, 2002),,Today,. *qtr"rtlo,ruflr'u
. growilg number of problems u." ,."ognir.J
as such and thus require the globalizaioo
oi
policy uraking-
passports.
* -finding,,.soiutions *itfrout
Second, earlier thjnking emphasizedstate-
cenbic notions and only gudginglyadmitted

" the presence let alone capa"iti"s ofother

actors. But starting in the 1990s
and earlier in
some cases, non_state actors (bothcivil socierv
and market-oriented ones) wer.e r..og_..d ,,
growing in importance and reacb.fi.y *.r.
more systematically embraced andb".u.. un
increasi:rgly integral part of cornprehensive
solutions either promulgated or u"tu"ily,ra"r_
takel bV the U3rled Natioru and:manyof its
member states. It has become commonpiace
to
for
recognize, instance, ,iru, tnr.-.rlonul
human rights moniroring would notfi.nction
withour Human Rights Watch andamnesry
Internafional (Thakur, 1994). AndsinilaLli
foreign direct investrnent (FDI) isfire tu,res
the arnouut of otticiai ddvelopment
urrirtun..
 502 THE SAGE HANDBOOK OF GLOBALIZATION

(oDA) that comes from states or intemational

irufiutions, while migrant remittances are
almost three times as large.
Moreover; it.became increasingly diffrcult
to ma.intain that the existence of problems
without passports or the increase in non-
state actors and their influence were excep-
tional. For' 'one-off' problems, ad hoc
solutions are acceptable. But several dec-
ades after the recognition of many fypes of
interdependence and amidst the proliferation
of for-profit .od aiel:profit institutions; cob_
bling together solutions and ad hoc coali-
tions is evident but seems tenuous and
wasteful. Today's recurrent problems require
predictabie and iastifufio nabzed responses.
The search to rethink and restmcfure such
resporses is this chapter:s story
Many states are successful, but some never

succeeded (or could be described as quasi-

sovereign entities) (Jackso4 1990), others faiied
and still others pooled sovereignty.as in the
European Uuioa The [IN's traditional role _

logical for au institution,whose msmbers are

states ._ qf imFroving goveroarent policy ald
fonnuiating intergovemmental :policies is giv_
lng way to nex, empiases. The l-IN,s conceptu_
alization of global'governance has not yet
ma:raged to move beyond the ficfion of the
sovereig:r equaiity of states (belied by various
clubs, especially. the G20), but it has expanded
to encompass both tznsnational market,forces
and civil. socie.ty, as a regular .bi1l of fare instead

ofan occasiorral snack.\

The global fiaancial crisis of 200g was.the
result of shortcornings, deficiencies and fail_
ules .n US domestic financial governance,
namely lax supervisory and regull,"ryoo.-,
anci utstlfuilons. But its rapid spreadthrough_
out the lnternarional system w;made;;ibl"
by gaps in global financiil govemance. The
financial crisis confimred th-at
"b;;;;;#:
tive regulatory institution;;;k;,;; ;;;;;
and ciyil society can be overwheLnedbv
questions of the roles
of intemationaf
ratnpant tansnational forces. It also
finan_
raisei
ciai iashhrtions and rating, *g"o.i",io ailii_
uig poiicy to elected govenrments. e,*rtU
f"*.::I:eq*ryr".h,itbidil;&;ff i#;l
ten (Wbiss, 2012a). They wereintent oir,riia-
other aspects of intemational affairs,,yrt"_i. ning the wari,cleariy, but they
"t.o "i.o.aTo
 THE UNITED NATIONS
ME[T5 THE TWENTY.I-IRST
504
CENTURY s03
THE sAGE HANDBOOK OF GLOBALIZATION

establish a post_war order

that institutional_
lurd NOTE
I (2007) After Anarchy: Legitimaq and Power in
themultitateral
United Nations cooperatiou
Securily Council. Princeton, Nl:
Prrnceton University in ,fr. ,urrri,l]!d
Press. (J:;,:)rr:l"ti:;;:;:rrjmijr rr i
actors
Thar
oi secunty,
.lackson economic,
RH (1990) social
Quasr-Stafes:
*i:
Sovereignty,

ffiillHie,itifffrl"*#1i*?Ji::
r!ur- r
and the Third ian objectives.
and humanita._
lnternational Relations, Wot'ld Th,s chapter
Cambi'idge. Cambridge University Press,
iavoive nou-state.actors ;;;;il;;'r'zoid *n.,.I;;;;;,;r,,",
draws on weiss T6 and
Jacobson HK (1984) Netvvorks
In the conrinuiag af
on lnterdependence.
evorution tl, U"riili"ri*_
regitun;;;;;#;.,i"._REFERENCES
lnternational Organizatians and the Global tPolitical
ria that ensure their of rhe
5ystem.In
ness, the
2nd edn,areas oiro"iui,uiJ*"r.*,.
New York: Knopf.
Jolly R, Emmerij L and Weiss TG (2009) UN ldeas That

1,""'i1il,"T,1ffifr::#ilffi** s
Changed the World. Bloomington: lndiana University passpor
essential componenrs
^T;;.X,!??,?,fjll',[]To* Fore,rn
Press.
jeConingIandThakurR(e aoi
of
iwenry-firsr"[entury.muttig,liriir_
Kennedy D (2005) Challenging
C,
expert rule: The politics ds)(200])Uninrerdeo
*uttitut"r"?.""ri".crrrrqrrrriiii ;il;;
of global governance. Julius Stone Memorial
be confined therefoie," *r"iil^r.,];
press
Address, Sydney Law Review, available at wuv. 1lr1rt1uniu operations.
rokyoa ustlii. edu. aulau{ownals,tSydLRev/2005/1 .html#fn 1

unired Narions Unrver:rry

Keohane R0 (2002) A Iunctional theory of regimes. In:
Art Rl
states butand
must reflect
lervis R (eds) "*;r-
-h;/nternational trsoli;eaie ano wa, a rheory ar tnternattonai
a'on,qPolitics: ;il;il;rilJ: s

rnctuding,h;#r;il;;
Enduring Concepts and Contemporary lssues, 6th
national reiations,
edn, New York: Lcngman, pp.131-7. L Newytrk: praeser
89/a1i9ns o

Mazourer M (2012) GoveJning the World: fhe History

^non-state actors. By ther"*" at"", NCo, 'n1o:1 1.Tg Nayyar D tigga) rnu

tnteiligent perscn '*'

of an ldea. New York: Penguin.
lvlurphy CN (1994). lnternational Organization and
H

themselves
lndustrial Change: acknowr"ag"
mustGlobal Guide
Governance Liberalisation rrr.*o.ilr;
ro1850.
Since *J r",
i.r;;,;Ne,l, press

Cambridge: Polity.
acknowledgment, thattl"r-*"'r"*
"rli: Brahimi (2000) Report t ,n" orrrt n, iiio) Nat,ons Crisis,

Murphy CN (2000) Global governance: Poorly done

t,.n"' u"ro.,
and pocrly *d p3":pL;;"# .n,It
understood. lnternational Affairs 76($:
The
789-803.
Itarrya' D (2006) Globalisatioil, history and deveiop- ;,ffi:, " i.Jir.{!iffT,ffi[,rtT,yi;n1*,i..,';:,,
meni: A tale of two centuries. Cambridge )ournal cf
polrcy process' with influeu""
Economics 30(l): I 37-59.
d"i.t-r,,
Nayyar D (ed.) (2002) Governing onGlobalintion: lssues
and Orientations. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
Bull (1977) The'Airchicalsociety.
E-O

come responsibility, for,A Sturly of order ntl"Wortd poiitics.york, Cotumbiaand distributional 0xfo'd
Oxford
impacts "q"r.q*nl.,
Neu,man E, Thakur R and Tirman
get worse mighlreflect
J (eds) (2006)
cambridge:-]- crronog. University press, pp 250_7r
ivlultilateralisn Under Chatlenge? power,
_
of tUe
r*"r ihange- aelisions.
coroste,nCarr rn #"-,.dnrr*
Os,aii ril"MentyRO (r99j)
years, rde:s
G:oierhance and
pcem ia 'cautionary.Taies""'i
liternational Ordic
on the
and
rast
Structural Tokyo: University
and
foreif,r,r,,.r,'i.,.r,rricarframework tn
United Nations University'Pies.
for
i
crriiar"r;i, t9t9-19j9the for-profi,
niry:
iriio, tnstitLttions,
r_71eign'
prir*- tdeasano
Nussbaum of lustice: Dbability, Weiss lthaca, NY cornell unrversitytrorr, did
MC (2006) frontieis po,tra
rI";;;"
Arglo-French
tne,And Membershrp. l.,.,nttarlv,
Newyork.HarperTorchbooks
aurhor Change
Naticnality,
always keepSpecies
a-hold
of Nurse
Cambridge, MA:
,r.1-ro
Herne I and Thakur R (eo91261 nging Wrtd Politic\. 7 th
Hitiuirr;;il; "'
to' take a greater interestctzuoe, ri tr (rlirl' Swordsedn,
Belknap Press.
nrust i" irrr;;f ;;
inro ptowshares tl iir'o"ii\ir'),
finrjing somethingworse.
Plesch D (2010) America, Hitler and the UN. London; G,tobaiisation rotyo: un,reo
fear of
national 'gove'rance Nations Unjversitv
state is'prpcc
Tau,us. lteld D and McGrew A (2007)Cnnatruiln,ar,,
prooPms aniiroires of lnternationarorganiza,ons
inevitable .' Eu rcpun
Journal fe/atbns 9(3): 491-542.
Rosenau iN (1999) Toward an ontology .for global gover oiriJ,
euEslo-Ns
DlscusstoN1{ Eevond the Grear
nav rt" il; ri*. "r Wilkinson R
fll',,fftsation'
nance ln: Hewson M and Sinclair TJ (edg Approaches ii",,nl,, sl*
theto
tjrl::.tT:::,rrnil::,1#:r
Global Governance Theory. Albany State University '
of Newways
y.,har York Press, pp.287-30j. t1io8fi /n
proviri"";i-dl;ffi;;:
does the uJrrt..conception
of the or mur_
Rosenau JN and Czempiel E-O (eds) (1992) Governance
goods'"
4th edn, r'rew voir: nanaom House.l9sts
u cu
Responsibitity,r,ru* vo,.r,,united
,Withouton Grobaf grr#r;,*"iig
Governmenti ^
Order and Change in World :::::;Jn ii[.l.pi i,
,o
commis:ion
jigiljlff *ft[::li5em co*r bu,e
Polltics. Cambridge: C ambridge University"press. '?:i:,i:' ;i:T::],:,[?'2',*il:l':;;r
:
.ruarions
Ruggie JG (1982) International regimes, transactions, and
lchange: Embedded liberalism in the post-wareconornic
our Gtobat u'tYii.,,,..,i'
,;:; 95)

',YI1H,',ff rore
orde r. /nterna tio n al Ong a nizati on 3 6(2):
prob.,,i{'i!!!; i:rfiJil?T;imllf kXi.^,
in srobar
3 794 I 5,

. The United Nations, rorNeighbourhood.oxtoid:o*roroun,uerrit;;;.;r"'itt its warts Czempiel (1992)

)lifi:5lJ:;:r[r:?il:.,,r C196rirurlori:fZf :lg_oOS"
polittcs. lnternationat
remains aprecious exGover'nrn,. rnA O.rot,rl,rrrr.;,.
":c!Fffi;'TiT::.:,"::XTffi: ry#rff i.:il;;;;:E:;:,tr,trfrtr1,r:
piantc<i. Those ,*ho ffi *,o*:r";r;#i;