September 24-25, 2010

The perceived need for global governance is much stronger than our understanding of this critical phenomenon. In the face of global challenges such as climate change, financial instability, and transnational security threats, political leaders and policymakers are adapting faster than theory.

In just the last few decades, there have been major changes in the global governance landscape. These have included the birth of new institutions such as the International Criminal Court; the emergence of significant ad hoc institutions, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Proliferation Security Initiative; and the evolution of existing mechanisms, including the shift from the G-7 to the G-20.

The ongoing changes in the architecture of global governance have important new features. In many cases, the traditional major powers are following, rather than leading the process of change. The construction of global governance mechanisms has finally become global. Although the diffusion of world power carries uncertainty and risks, it also creates new opportunities for strengthening global order in a way that taps the resources and dynamism of new, rising powers.

Understanding this new phenomenon requires reflection and analysis. This conference, hosted by the School of International Service at American University, seeks to advance our understanding of new trends in global governance. By convening leading scholars and practitioners it will facilitate research in the field and provide an important conduit between policy leaders and academic experts. And by involving scholars and experts from around the world, the conference will ensure a global perspective. Too often, discussions about global governance are not themselves global.

The conference will be structured to address some deceptively simple questions about global governance. What does the term “global governance” mean and how can it be used to provide analytical clarity? Even with a workable definition, another question presents itself: who are the actors most engaged in global governance? The concept of global governance often becomes disembodied, with little discussion or analysis of the relevant actors.

Informed by these discussions, the conference will then address questions of when and how global governance mechanisms can succeed and what areas are most in need of global governance. These sessions will help shift the focus from concepts to practical questions of procedures and priorities. The conference will conclude with informed speculation about the trajectory of global governance and will ask several leading scholars and observers to consider what governance will look like in 2030 and what variables will be most important in determining its future shape.

Program

View the entire conference program here (PDF).

Invited Guests

Read the biographies of all invited speakers and panelists.