GG: General Principles And Examples

Question 1

What does global governance refer to

Answer 1

Global governance refers to the emergence during the last 70 years or so of norms, rules, laws and institutions that have regulated and, to some extent, reproduced the trade orientated global systems (such as those involving patterns of human development and population migration). These regulations have in turn has geographical consequences for the worlds citizens and the places in which they live.

Question 2

Together, what have global systems and global governance shaped

Answer 2

Have shaped relationships between individuals, states and non state organisations (for example, the United Nations (UN), transnational companies (TNCs) or non governmental organisations (NGOs)) around the world.

Question 3

What have many of systems and laws been responsible for

Answer 3

Positive changes in the way in which global geopolitics operates.

For example, UN-sponsored agreements on human rights and genocide coupled with international law were crucial in creating the post-1945 international system following the atrocities under Nazi Germany. Another agreement is where nation states, with exclusive sovereignty over their national territories, are treated as equal partners under the auspices of the UN charter.

Question 4

What issues has global governance dealt with

Answer 4

Such as those concerning trade, security, nuclear proliferation, legality, human rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity, the atmosphere, laws of the sea and the protection of animals. Some of these refer to what is known as ‘global commons’ - the earth’s resources that’s are, in theory shared by all.

Question 5

Define human rights

Answer 5

Moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behaviour, and are protected as legal rights in international law.

Question 6

Tell me the two significant issues associated with attempts at global governance

Answer 6

How have agencies, including the UN in the post 1945 era, worked to promote growth and stability, and yet may have also created and exacerbated inequalities and injustices?

How have the interactions between local, regional, national and international, and global scales become fundamental to understanding the role of global governance?

Question 7

How have the interactions between local, regional, national and international, and global scales become fundamental to understanding the role of global governance in the context of trade?

Answer 7

All producers and consumers are linked with other people in other places and at different scales. Their interdependence and interactions are crucial for many of the worlds systems. Although the power to act and to effect change is embedded in many different locations within the system(s), the most effective changes are often brought about by different people or places working together in some form of partnership.

Question 8

List me some of the partners (sometimes referred to as ‘actors’) that can effect change at a global scale

Answer 8

TNCs
Workers
Consumers
Farmers
NGOs(such as green peace, oxfam)

Question 9

How can the following partner effect change at a global scale: TNCs

Answer 9

These can form or encourage cooperatives; they can source their materials and products ethically; they can enforce codes of conduct of their producers… or they can deliberately do none of these.

National governments can seek to regulate TNCs and these regulations can be replicated by other countries.

Supranational bodies such as the European Union (EU) and world trade organisation (WTO) can regulate trade.

Question 10

How can the following partner effect change at a global scale: workers

Answer 10

These can form trade unions to defend their rights, both nationally and perhaps internationally, in extreme cases they can cite solidarity internationally.

Question 11

How can the following partner effect change at a global scale: consumers

Answer 11

Consumers around the world can ask moral questions about the origin of food and other products, and they can reject exploitative goods.

Question 12

How can the following partner effect change at a global scale: farmers

Answer 12

Can organise themselves into collectives, and have greater strength to negotiate as groups. As example of this is the fair trade movement.

Question 13

How can the following partner effect change at a global scale: NGOs

Answer 13

Such as Greenpeace, Oxfam. They can lobby, raise public awareness, fund projects and educate.

Question 14

There have been concerns expressed about the global governance of whatever is being governed, what questions have been raised

Answer 14

What is the purpose of the governing mechanisms? How and why were the particular agencies/partners brought together, and what are their interests and rationales.

How well do the various agencies/partners work together?

How well does global governance work, bearing in mind the different rates of economic, social and cultural development around the world?

Just how democratic or accountable are these unelected, and largely appointed bodies and the people who run them? How does this square with increasing levels of inclusion and empowerment?

Question 15

What should be noted about global governance

Answer 15

There is no guarantee of governance success, and there will always be concerns over the coordination, accountability and legitimacy of governance structures.

Question 16

When and what were the first major steps in the growth of today’s level of international trade

Answer 16

Took place after the Second World War. The initial steps in opening up the global economy were made in the 1950s and 1960s as the desire to avoid the economic and political mistakes of the interwar period led to the gradual dismantling of trade barriers.

Some of this was done within specific geographies - notably with the formation of the European Coal and Steel community in 1951, the forerunner of the EU. Most, however, came about as a result of close cooperation between democratic powers keen to escape the conflicts of the first half of the twentieth century.

Question 17

What did the development of trade agreements result in

Answer 17

The Marshall Plan, which helped to deliver post-war reconstruction in a bid to avoid mistakes contained within the treaty of Versailles

The delivery of a number of successful general agreement on tariffs and trade (GATT) rounds designed to reduce trade barriers. GATT was replaced by the World Trade organisation (WTO) in 1995.

The creation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

The creation of the North Atlantic treaty organisation (NATO), a response to fears of soviet expansion in Europe (an example of global security governance being interdependent with trade governance)

^these collectively interconnected a series of systems and arrangements that were political, financial, economic and security based in order to support trade. The consequence was a massive reopening of world trade. However, only those countries that make up the core countries within the developed world, the OECD, really benefitted.

Question 18

What does OECD stand for

Answer 18

Organisation for economic cooperation and development

Question 19

What is OECD

Answer 19

A group of economically developed countries that aims to promote policies which will improve the economic and social wellbeing of people around the world.

Question 20

As the reforms took place (Marshall plan, IMF, WTO, world bank etc) what did economic progress depend on

Answer 20

As the reforms took place between like minded democracies, it seemed as though economic progress depended on democratic status. There is one major exception to this, and it remains so, to an extent: Singapore. Singapore’s economy has gone from extreme poverty to considerable wealth in the space of 50 years even though it has no conventional democratic framework.

Question 21

During the latter half of the twentieth century, what was happening

Answer 21

More and more countries began to not only trade with, but also, through TNCs and government sources, invest in other countries (FDI).

Question 22

Tell me about the initial stages of FDI rise

Answer 22

In the initial stages, the rapid rise of FDI mostly affected wealthy (high income) nations. Japan and Germany, with their large current account surpluses, mostly lent money to the USA. The USA ran a large current account deficit funded by ever increasing surpluses in Germany and Japan. In return for this funding of the USAs deficit, the latter provided military and diplomatic protection for both countries in the midst of the Cold War. This is another example in which trade and security come together.

Question 23

Define foreign direct investment

Answer 23

FDI, mostly by TNCs, but also increasingly by Sovereign wealth funds (money from governments)

Question 24

Tell me about China opening its doors to the world and other countries beginning to work and trade together

Answer 24

At the end of the 1970s, Deng Xiaoping’s China was beginning to ‘open its doors’ to the rest of the world and turning its back on the period under Chairman Mao. Similarly, India, which had previously protected inefficient domestic industries, began to re connect with the West. Countries in Eastern Europe previously controlled by soviet Russia rushed to join the EU. Countries in Latin America also wanted to join the spirit of free trade - Mexico joined the North America free trade agreement (NAFTA) and several Latin American countries formed Mercosur, another free trade union.

Question 25

There can be no doubt that the world is much more closely interconnected by trade as a consequence of…

Answer 25

The opening up to business of much of the emerging world. An examination of the trading partners of both China and the USA illustrates this well.

Question 26

Who are china’s major trading partners

Answer 26

Exports: from highest to lowest 
USA
EU
Hong Kong 
Japan 
South Korea

Imports: highest to lowest 
EU
Japan
South Korea
Hong Kong 
USA

Question 27

Who are the USAs major trading partners

Answer 27

Exports: highest to lowest
Canada
EU
Mexico
China
Japan

Imports: highest to lowest
China
EU
Canada
Mexico
Japan

Question 28

Has the developed world strengthened Its grip on the world economy

Answer 28

For all the economic progress made by the emerging world, the developed world, consisting of high income countries, has strengthened its grip on the world economy.

The worlds leading financial centres are still New York, London and a Tokyo. Emerging nations are, in investment terms, an adjunct (an add on) to the making of money in the developed world. Indeed, as we have seen in London, super wealthy individuals form the emerging world, such as Russians, Saudis and Chinese, are more than willing to invest in real estate in the developed world. Even today there is little solid investment beyond manufacturing industry in the emerging world.

Question 29

What many members are there in the UN

Answer 29

193

Question 30

What is the United Nations (UN)

Answer 30

The United Nations (UN) is an international organisation designed to make the enforcement of international law, security, economic development, social progress and human rights easier for countries around the world.

It includes 193 countries as its member states, and its main headquarters are located in New York, USA. The UN is the most representative intergovernmental organisation in the world today. It has made enormous positive contributions in maintaining international peace and stability, promoting cooperation among states and international development. The UN believes that only through international cooperation can mankind meet the challenges of these issues in the global and regional contexts. The UN plays a pivotal and positive role in this regard. However, some have pointed out that certain UN actions have actually exacerbated inequalities and injustices.

Question 31

How does the UN operate

Answer 31

The UN operates through applying the principles of the Charter of the Untied Nations, and its main authority in maintaining international peace and security is through the Security Council.

The UN states that to strengthen its role, it is essential to ensure for all member states the right to equal participation in international affairs, and that the rights and interests of the developing world should be safeguarded.

Although the UN does not maintain its own military, it does have peacekeeping forces, which its member states supply. On approval of the UN Security Council, these peacekeepers are often sent to regions where armed conflict recently ended, in order to discourage combatants from resuming fighting.

Question 32

How does the UN protect human rights and provide humanitarian assistance when needed

Answer 32

In addition to maintaining peace, the UN aims to protect human rights and provide humanitarian assistance when needed. In 1948, the General Assembly adopted the universal declaration of human rights as a standard for its human rights operations.

The UN currently provides technical assistance in elections, helps to improve judicial structures and draft constitutions, trains human rights officials, and provides food, drinking water, shelter and other humanitarian services to people displaced by famine, war and natural disasters.

Question 33

When were the millennium development goals established

Answer 33

2000

Question 34

Tell me about what the millennium development goals were for

Answer 34

In 2000, the UN established its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Most of its member states and various international organisations agreed to achieve these goals relating to reducing poverty and child mortality, fighting diseases and epidemics, and developing a global partnership in terms of international development by 2015.

Some member states have achieved a number of the agreements goals while others have reached none. This is cited as one example where the UN may have exacerbated inequality around the world.

Question 35

Define millennium development goals (MDGs)

Answer 35

A series of targets set between 2000 and 2015 that aimed to act on the main causes of poverty around the world, including diet, education and disease.

Question 36

When were the Sustainable development goals agreed

Answer 36

September 2015

Question 37

What were the SDGs created for

Answer 37

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) were agreed in September 2015, with some targets similar to the MDGs, such as ending poverty and hunger, and others focused on combating the threat of global warming, and protecting oceans and forests from further degradation. To be successful, the SDGs will require a renewed UN system. A growing number of emerging nations will play an expanded role in this system, with probably a larger financial contribution, greater presence in governance, a stronger voice and a greater influence.

Question 38

What is fair trade

Answer 38

On a much smaller scale than the UN, Fairtrade is a social movement whose stated goal is to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Members of the movement advocate the payment of higher prices to exporters, as well as higher social and environmental standards.

Question 39

What products does the movement focus on

Answer 39

The movement focuses in particular on commodities, or products, that are typically exported from developing countries to developed countries, but also consumed in large domestic markets (such as Brazil and India), most notably coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, cotton and chocolate.

Question 40

What does the fair trade movement seek to do

Answer 40

The movement seeks to promote greater equity in international trading partnerships through dialogue, transparency and respect. It promotes sustainable development by offering better trading conditions for, and securing the rights of, marginalised producers and workers in developing countries. It is an example of how smaller bodies - an NGO - can seek to exert governance on world trade.

Question 41

Tell me one common characteristics of global trade talks over the last 50 years

Answer 41

Under the auspices (support/protection) of the WTO has been the degree to which they have stumbled towards agreement. There have been common stumbling blocks creating this.

Question 42

Tell me the main stumbling blocks preventing the round of trade talks at the WTO reaching an agreement

Answer 42

The poor countries want a much greater reduction in subsidies for farmers in rich countries so that their own farm producer can compete in world markets.

The rich countries want poor countries to remove import levies on agricultural goods coming into poor countries.

Question 43

What would subsidy reductions result in

Answer 43

Subsidy reductions would mean some hardships for producers such as US cotton farmers and EU dairy and sugar farmers, as they would be threatened by cheaper imports from the developing world.

Question 44

What would the reduction in import levies result in

Answer 44

Poor countries worry that if they remove their trade levies their own farmers would never be able to compete with cheaper imported agricultural products from developed countries with subsidies. In addition, poorer countries get a large proportion of their tax revenues from taxing imports.

Question 45

Some countries are very poor and need help to develop their trade. What help may this include

Answer 45

This includes protection of their fledgling processing industries from cheaper imports of processed goods, and richer countries sharing their technical expertise and knowledge to bring them up to twenty first century trading standards. These countries needed economic support to attain the MDGs, and will need it to attain the SDGs in the future.

Question 46

Summarise the main features of Article 1 of the UN charter

Answer 46

To maintain international peace and security, and to that end, to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other branches of peace.

To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self determination of peoples.

To achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

Question 47

What is the purpose of NATO

Answer 47

NATO is a military alliance established in 1949. It was set up to organise collective defence when an external party attacked members from the North Atlantic area. At the time of establishment the main threat was from the Soviet Union (now Russia), but it has also launched military activity in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya. There are currently 28 members .

Question 48

Through which agencies does the UN provide humanitarian assistance around the world

Answer 48

The UN plays an integral part in social and economic development through its UN development programme (UNDP). UNDP administers the UN Capital Development Fund, which helps developing countries grow their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants and loans. In addition the world health organisation (WHO), UNAIDS, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the UN Population Fund, and the world bank also play essential roles. The UN annually publishes the Human Development Index (HDI), which ranks countries in terms of poverty, literacy, education and life expectancy.

Question 49

What is meant by the term ‘ethical trade’

Answer 49

Ethical trade means that retailers, companies and their suppliers take responsibility for improving the working conditions of the people who make the products they sell. Most of these workers are employed by supplier companies around the world, many of them based in developing countries where laws designed to protect workers rights are inadequate or not enforced. Companies with a commitment to ethical trade adopt a code of labour practice that they expect all their suppliers to work towards. Such a code addresses issues like wages, hours of work, health and safety, and the right to join free trade unions.