中欧社会论坛 - China Europa ForumAn Introduction to Global Governance
Authors: Yu Keping
Extract from ” Marxism and Reality, No. 1, 2002, pp. 20-32“
1. The General Theory of Governance and Good Governance
Governance is a form of public administration activity and management. It involves necessary public authorities, management rules, governance mechanisms and governance methods.
The 10 basic elements of good governance are legitimacy, rule of law, transparency, accountability, responsiveness, effectiveness, civic participation, stability, cleanness and justice.
The theory of global governance emerges when the analytical framework of governance is applied at the international level.
2. The Concept of Global Governance Theory
The five basic elements of global governance theory are: the value of global governance, global regimes, the main body (or the basic unit) of global governance, the object of global governance, as well as the outcome of global governance.
The value of global governance is the ideal objective which the advocators of global governance are striving to achieve at the international level.
Global regimes are systems of rules designed to maintain the order of the international community to realise human general values. Global regimes are at the core of the global governance. Without a system of general rules that can be observed by all human beings and bind to all, global governance is only an empty talk.
The main body or the basic unit of global governance refers to organisations which establish and implement global regimes. These organisations mainly fall into three categories: a) governments, government departments and sub-national government authorities; b) formal international organisations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, World Trade Organisation, and the International Monetary Fund; and c) informal global civil society.
The object of global governance includes transnational issues that have already affected or will affect all human beings. Current issues raised by scholars from different countries that should be addressed by global regimes fall into five categories: a) issues related to global security including armed conflicts between countries or regions, the production and proliferation of nuclear weapons, the production and trade of weapons of mass destruction, the rise of non-defensive military power, etc.; b) environment related issues including the rational use and exploitation of resources, pollution source control, the protection of rare animals and plants, the exploitation of international oil resources, the ocean dumping, cross-border air pollution, the international transport of toxic wastes, ozone depletion, the loss of biodiversity, fishing, endangered species, climate change, etc.; c) international economy including the global financial markets, wealth polarisation, the global economic security, fair competition, the debt crisis, international transport, foreign-exchange rates, etc.; d) transnational crime such as smuggling, illegal migration, drug trafficking, human trafficking, international terrorism, etc.; and e) issues related to basic human rights such as genocide, massacres of civilians, the spread of disease, hunger and poverty, as well as the injustice in the international community, and so on.
The success of global governance depends on the effectiveness of international regimes. Two factors affect the effectiveness of international regimes: a) the content of international regimes, and b) the social and environmental conditions in which the regulations and arrangements are complied with.
3. The Cause of the Emergence of Global Governance
The prevalence of the theory and practice of governance, good governance and global governance in the 90’s is the logical result of the globalisation process, the new pattern of development of the international political and economic order after the end of the Cold War, the requirement of the effectiveness of international regimes, and the product of both the global civil society and the world trend towards democracy.
It should be noted that some risk factors exist in the western theories of governance and global governance. First of all, the main body of global governance such as international organisations and global civil society are to a great degree controlled by the US-led Western developed countries, which means the global governance is difficult to avoid the control of developed countries. Second, most of the global regimes and mechanisms are developed in and established by the Western countries and reflect the intent and value of the developed countries. Finally, the governance theory, especially the theory of global governance is based on the weakening of the role of government and the national sovereignty. The translational and global concept of governance is emphasised while national boundaries become increasingly blurred. It cannot be ignored that over weakening the role of national sovereignty and sovereign government in domestic and international governance may be taken advantage of by some countries and multinational corporations to provide theoretical support and basis for and result in international hegemony as well as the interference in the internal affairs.