UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

This course provides an in depth overview of the rapidly proliferating literature on the nature of global governance, its architecture, pieces, actors, functions, and outcomes. Global governance itself continues to evolve, creating an increasingly complex, dense, and less coherent patchwork. The borderline between public and private activities is increasingly blurred as private companies and foundations become important providers of public goods, services, and standards. "Regime complexes" have emerged in the areas of food security, refugee protection, maritime piracy, energy, trade and the environment, and international forests. Nongovernmental organizations. (NGOs) continue to be a driving force on many policy issues and active participants in the construction of global governance for many issues. Intergovernmental international organizations (IGOs), while still central to global governance in many areas, are increasingly seen as weak or failing to perform adequately. This course examines how all these mechanisms interact to provide global governance in contemporary world politics.