In our interconnected world, many global issues that affect us across national boundaries, can not be handled by nation states alone, and require international actions. Some of these issues are climate change; fair trade; stability of global financial system; global poverty; conflicts, genocide and failing states; migration; diseases without borders; access to education for all; debt sustainability and relief; biodiversity; management of world’s resources (oceans, forests, water and energy). The global governance mechanisms to address these challenges include: international treaties, institutions, conferences, etc. The global issues are expected to become even more acute due to population growth, expansion in the global economy, and the growing imbalances, global environmental and social stresses.

Download the paper (PDF file) and the presentation (PPT files)

Jean-Francois Rischard. (2002). High Noon: Twenty Global Problems, Twenty Years to Solve Them. New York: Basic Books, chapters 1-11.

Jarod Diamond. 2005. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Penguin Group, Chapters 14, 16.

Bjorn Lomborg (ed.) (2004). Global Crises, Global Solutions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Introduction.