Photo: Future of Globalisation

The section Future of Globalisation in this blog provides a platform for debates on current world economic issues, global power shifts and views on the roles of formal and informal global governance institutions. It is an initiative of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS). The blog posts, appearing on every first and third Wednesday each month, are written by researchers from IDOS and our international partners, amongst them numerous prestigious think tanks from rising powers. In this blog, the authors of the contributions represent only their personal opinion. While aiming at cutting-edge research content, the blog intends to reach a broader audience of researchers, government officials and journalists. With this blog we carry on discussions that had initially been launched in 2016 as part of the Think20 process during the German G20 presidency. In 2018, we aim at continuing the debate about the role of the G20 broadening the focus of discussion to institutional and thematic matters of global economic governance.

If you are interested to contribute, get in touch with Axel Berger and Sven Grimm of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) via futureofglobalisation@idos-research.de.

Transnational networks as relational governance infrastructure

Photo: Highways in Riga by night

Photo by Aleksejs Bergmanis on Pixabay

The resource use of our economies currently exceeds the planetary limits. Our way of life requires profound changes to become sustainable. Governing transformation towards sustainability is an orchestration of a multitude of actors and goes beyond top-down state regulations and bottom-up grassroots initiatives. The required transformation touches various types and levels of interactions – from indigenous communities resisting wind energy projects in Oaxaca (Mexico) to youth groups in Copenhagen mobilizing street protests to spark world leaders into action on climate change, from German courts ordering politicians to come up with more ambitious climate protection legislation to European legislation bodies introducing due diligence and sustainable supply chain laws affecting developing countries. The success of transformation towards sustainability depends on how these interactions are facilitated or orchestrated.

Photo: Schloss Elmau, the G7 Summit 2022 will take place here

The German G7 Presidency: Dare to make progress on health, sustainability, and trade

The G7 presidency is an important opportunity for the new German government to globally advance its policy goals on a broad range of issues. It is also the first international litmus test for the new coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Alliance 90/The Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). There is no shortage…

Consolidating Efforts to Recover Stronger: Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022

Image: City of Jakarta, by Afif Kusuma on Pixabay

Image: City of Jakarta, by Afif Kusuma on Pixabay

“This is, above all, a human crisis that calls for solidarity…. that demands coordinated, decisive, and innovative policy action from the world’s leading economies”. This is an excerpt from António Guterres‘ statement on March 19, 2020, in which the Secretary-General of the United Nations called for innovative, appropriate and coordinated action from all world leaders to tackle the new Covid-19 pandemic. But after more than a year and a half , international coordination and cooperation is still lacking in handling this multidimensional crisis.

60 years of German development cooperation – where to go from here?

Image: Sunrise with grass in the morning dew

By schuetz-mediendesign on Pixabay

International cooperation for sustainable development is crucial for securing life in dignity for current and future generations. In a globalized world like ours, without such cooperation, it is impossible to strengthen individual and societal freedoms for flourishing, to curb climate change and biodiversity loss, reduce inequalities in income and wealth, end armed conflicts and avoid outbursts of violence, strengthen the rule of law and accountable and effective public institutions, and shape digitalisation.

The proof of the haggis: Making sense of the Glasgow climate change conference

Photo: Clyde Arc Bridge in Glasgow, The UK hosted the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October – 13 November 2021 Photo by Craig McKay on Unsplash

The Scottish national dish of haggis warrants the attribute of an acquired taste. The notion of a sheep’s stomach primarily filled with offal of the same ruminant sounds repulsive to many while connoisseurs praise its savoury flavour. Either way, delivering a haggis makes for an inscrutable mess. Much the same can be said of the outcome of “COP26”, the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which convened in the Scottish city of Glasgow under the presidency of the United Kingdom. It also was the first such meeting after the COVID-19 imposed hiatus of 2020 – eagerly awaited to get global climate governance back on track and to boost the implementation of the Paris Agreement of 2015.