ASTK12572U SEMINAR: Global Public Governance

It has been argued that global public governance (GPG) involves new forms of politics, representation and layers of emerging governance, both internationally and locally, constituting multi-layered public governance. This seminar studies these rapidly evolving relationships between public policy and the institutions of global governance, including an understanding of how such institutions themselves provide forms of international, transnational, and supranational public policy. The seminar reflects two sides of this relationship: what is the impact of emerging global governance on national public policy? And what is the role of national and regional public policy within institutions of global governance?? Besides describing such recent developments and the challenges these present to changing understandings of GPG, the seminar provides important theoretical approaches from organisational theory, public policy, globalisation and global governance. The seminar will provide the analytical tools for understanding GPG, and will use a series of case studies to analyse this. Students will thus have the opportunity to develop critical and analytical faculties in the contextual analysis of these case studies. The key debates and discussions of the normative challenges of GPG, the complex interplay of current global crises, and the role of rapidly changing public policy are at the centre of the seminar.

Preliminary plan:

Introduction to global public governance -

1. Understanding global public governance
2. Global and regional governance
3. State and non-state actors

Cases in global public governance -

1.  Economics
2.  Society
3.  Environment
4.  Conflict
5.  Politics
6. Conclusion: moving from globalisation to global public governance

The seminar consists of nine 3-hour sessions placing a heavy emphasis on active learning through case study work. The seminar begins by contextualising the understanding, theories and history of global public governance. The seminar will secondly look at the interaction of the institutions of global and regional governance, as well as state and non-state actors. The seminar will then thirdly study a series of five case studies in order to provide empirical illustrations of the interlinking of global public governance in areas such as economics, social issues, the environment, peace and security, and finally politics and global governance. This series of case studies will be used to provide concrete examples and develop analytical skills of global public governance. This will involve examining the role of national, international and supranational actors and organisations. Questions raised in the seminar include more empirical issues such as what are the predominant institutions of global governance under conditions of globalisation? How has public policy become global within these institutions? How do institutions of global governance impact on national public policy? How do actors in national and international settings interact with these institutions of global governance? What theories best explain such roles, interactions and impacts?