On September 24-25, 2009, leaders from the G20 nations will assemble in Pittsburgh for a third summit on the world economy. While their prior collective activity in Washington and London likely reduced the depth and scope of the economic crisis, the G20 still faces significant tests to reboot global economic activity and sustain momentum on international regulatory reform.

Toward these ends, the CIGI Special G20 Report: Flashpoints for the Pittsburgh Summit advances a set of timely policy recommendations to strengthen global economic governance. In particular, the report outlines necessary reforms to the international financial structures that would provide forward-looking processes and equal status among the industrialized and emerging powers.

CIGI has been at the forefront of research and analysis on the G8/G20 process, building expertise on global governance reform, the international financial architecture and emerging powers. This work has intensified since the G20, a forum which CIGI advanced beginning in 2004 as part of its research, was established.

Several initiatives and projects currently underway take a broad and insightful look at the G20.

COMMENTARY ON THE PITTSBURGH SUMMIT

• A Vision Fulfilled: CIGI and the G20
• CIGI Special G20 Report: Flashpoints for the Pittsburgh Summit
• Propelling the G20 from Concept to Reality
• Picking your Club: G8 or G20, BRICs or B(R)ICSAM?

FEATURED RESEARCH

CIGI has conducted extensive research on global governance reform, the financial architecture and emerging powers. The lists below reflect the evolution of several research groups' recent work on these topics. As the G8 and G20 continue to change and develop, CIGI will add to this compilation.

Global Governance Reform

• From London to L'Aquila: Building a Bridge between the G20 and G8
• The G20: A Work in Progress for Global Governance?
• Global Governance for a Global Age: The Role of Leaders in Breaking Global Deadlocks
• Rebalancing Global Governance in Afterglow of G20 London
• Is the G's Variable Summitry Sustainable?

Financial Architecture

• The G20 Leaders' Summit and the Regulation of Global Finance: What was Accomplished?
• Global Action Offers Shelter to Weather Economic Storm
• Cat's Out of the Bag: China's Currency Challenge
• Refocusing the WTO after the Cessation of the Doha Round of Negotiations
• Slipping into Obscurity? Crisis and Reform at the IMF

Emerging Powers

• Emerging Powers and Global Governance: Lessons from the Heiligendamm Process
• The Emerging Powers
• The BRICSAM Countries and Changing World Economic Power: Scenarios to 2050
• New Roles for Emerging Powers
• Reaching out to BRICSAM: Economic Diplomacy and the Heiligendamm Process

RESOURCES

Global Trade Alert

Global Trade Alert is a real-time source of information on state measures taken during the global downturn that are likely to affect foreign commerce. It goes beyond other monitoring initiatives by identifying the trading partners likely to be harmed by such measures.

National Perspectives on Global Leadership

National leaders convene at international summits to address global issues. Thus far, the National Perspectives on Global Leadership (NPGL) project has produced two Soundings series of commentary from analysts reflecting on thow well their national leaders fared in the eyes of the public at the London G20 Summit in April 2009 and the L'Aquila G8 Summit in July 2009, respectively. The authors also assess the implications of these domestic perceptions for restoring trust and confidence in national leadership and global governance.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Study Group on Global Economic Governance

Researchers from this project examine the implications of the economic crisis for global governance. With particular interest in the G8 and G20, they explore the national and international policy responses of member countries and provide recommendations for reforming the global financial architecture. This is a joint CIGI-Chatham House project.

The Future of the IMF: A Canadian Perspective

Reform of the International Monetary Fund for (IMF) has been on the agenda of many non-OECD governments, policy makers, scholars and activists for several decades with little result.In the midst of the present global crisis, Canada has gained an impressive international reputation for the way it has managed its fiscal and monetary policies. This presents an opportunity to introduce Canadian perspectives to the IMF reform debates. CIGI has formed a task force composed of senior Canadian policy specialists and academics on IMF reform issues.

Breaking Global Deadlocks

Researchers from this project have long examined, advocated and supported mobilization for a Leaders' Summit and preparatory process with inclusive representation to enable the creation of effective "bargains" or "package deals" to resolve global challenges. They investigated the merits of enlarging the G8 to break global deadlocks on issues that could not be resolved through other mechanisms.

(Image credit: Flickr user Downing Street; Flickr user LouisL)