Governance Reform & Innovation
Public Panel “FrankenPlanet or Climate Salvation?: The Governance of Geo-Engineering”
Financial Stability Board: The Arduous Road to Mission Accomplished
Since the international financial crisis of 2008, the G20 has devoted extensive attention to the improvement of international financial regulatory standards. Having agreed on a wide range of new standards, the G20 is now facing growing questions about whether these will actually be implemented at the national level in a consistent manner. In addition to recommitting themselves to adopt these standards, the G20 leaders should use the 2012 Mexican summit to strengthen the capacity of the Financial Stability Board (FSB) to address this issue.
Fundamentals Lost: Failures of Policies and Governance to Promote Economic Growth
As we approach the Los Cabos summit, it is easy to be downbeat about the state of the global economy. The G20 goals of a full recovery from the Great Recession and putting the global economy on a sustainable growth path, as outlined in the Cannes Action Plan for Growth and Jobs, are not only far from realization, but they have also suffered serious setbacks due to failures of policy and governance.
The Evolving Role of the G20
In considering the evolving role of the G20, it is worth reflecting upon the factors that shaped the group’s original mandate. As the first decade of the new century progressed, it became increasingly clear that the international balance of power had shifted, but the institutional framework, which sought to manage the global economy, had not adapted to reflect this new reality. The financial crisis of 2008 forced the leading economic powers (notably the US, where the crisis originated) to confront the need to integrate the emerging economies more effectively into international economic decision making.
Good ideas on global finance governance must navigate the shoals of interest-based lobbying
It is tempting to think that good ideas will prevail, even (or especially) in technical issues such as those on the global financial governance agenda. Yet this type of advance may prevail in areas such as those relating to the highly complicated but vital "Basel III" framework, so-called because it represents the third round of standards put forward by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, a forum of international bank regulators.
Cut those shameless perks of international diplomacy
In an op-ed for The Globe and Mail, Thomas Tieku argues that "the spinoffs and savings from perks have turned well-meaning civil servants and aid disbursers into professional travellers."
Will the G20 Cry Over Argentina?
I have been in Mexico City for a pre-G20 event at the prestigious Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México or ITAM. This conference, among many other matters, allowed me to reflect on the status of the country that has become a significant outlier at the global top table: Argentina.
Jobs and Inclusive Growth: the IMF finally catches up to reality
Last year, the IMF created a working group to examine one of the most pressing issues facing the global economy and development today: jobs and inclusive growth. The problem exists in both the developed world and the developing world. Indeed, the Arab Spring and protests throughout southern europe have brought this issue to greater light. The working group reported its preliminary findings today at the IMF World Bank Spring Meetings, seeking the feedback of civil society actors and think tank fellows like yours truly.
The Woman Who Could Have Led the World Bank
I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala speak yesterday at the Brookings Institution. She is a known figure in economics as the Nigerian minister of finance, but is even more known today for having challenged the US-European convention of having an American at the helm of the World Bank.
Europe and the Firewall
The Financial Times quotes French Finance Minister François Baroin as arguing for an increase in IMF resources since, having augmented the EU rescue fund by €200 billion, “Europe has done its part.”
Has it? Really?
Insights on Inclusive Order from Singapore
I have been spending the last few days in Singapore at a very interesting conference sponsored by Nanyang Technological University and the Asian Development Bank Institute on the theme of the Evolving De-centralized Global Economic architecture. Such a theme highlights the interest that a small but smart state such as Singapore has in maintaining a balance between the need for rules and regulations in the global order, and the space for innovative practices at the domestic level to keep up its competitive status.
New CIGI interactive blogging platform offers expert commentary on global governance issues
CIGI invites foreign affairs journalists seeking expert opinions on current global governance issues and trends to visit the new CIGI Blogs interactive platform.
Signature Lecture: Japan's Contribution to Global Governance
John Kirton, professor of political science at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs, delivered the CIGI Signature Lecture on March 14, 2012. It was the keynote address for the 2012 Japan Futures Initiative Spring Symposium.
York U clears way for joint program with BlackBerry founder’s think tank
Fred Kuntz, CIGI’s vice-president of public affairs, called York University's decision “a vote of confidence in the opportunity to build something unique: a hub of research into international governance through a legal prism.”
Not the Bella Vita, but Life in Italy Marches On
Having been in Rome for a week I expected to be constantly disrupted by protestors and/or work stoppages akin to the media images from Greece. Yet the Italian capital bore no visible traces of political demonstrations.
Closing the Gap Between Humanitarian and Development Aid
In an op-ed to IDN, CIGI Research Officer Meagan Kay argues that clarifying the distinction between humanitarian and development assistance is fundamental to addressing challenges in the current aid architecture.
In Rudd's Failed PM Bid, the G20 Loses a Champion
Middle Powers – even when their politics and policies are especially interesting – don’t get the nuanced attention in the global media they deserve.
Tank Treads: A Blog from Inside CIGI
Welcome to Tank Treads, a blog about the inside goings-on at a think tank. As VP of Public Affairs at CIGI, I’ll share some of the corridor chat about our projects, conferences, appointments and connections with the wider world of policy making, analysis and research.
UN Panel Calls for Integration of Environment into International Economic Reforms
A quarter of a century ago, the Brundtland Commission outlined the concept of sustainable development for the first time. It began its rather sobering report with the memorable phrase, “The Earth is one but the world is not,” to describe the interactions between the world’s environmental and economic and political systems. Sustainable development was to provide a new paradigm for economic growth, social equality and environmental sustainability.
Global Sustainability: Pursuing the Elusive Prize
As the world’s political and business leaders head home from the World Economic Forum in Davos, it is right asking which of the world’s toughest challenges were identified, let alone solved, on the “Magic Mountain.” Timely, then, that today the UN launches the report of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability.