Leading academics explore governance in the 21st century
02 Nov 07
Climate change, the changing character of war and the governance and regulation of the global economy are some of the pressing issues of the 21st century being discussed in a major programme of lectures sponsored by Oxford University’s Social Sciences Division.
Every Monday throughout 2007-08 leading social scientists from Oxford and other leading universities will be debating some of the challenges and possible solutions in the lecture series called ‘Foundations of Governance in a Globalized World’ directed by Professor Andrew Hurrell, Director of the Centre of International Studies in the Department of Politics and International Relations. Professor Hurrell said: ‘The purpose of these lectures is to identify some of the big foundational issues that arise whenever we discuss order and governance and to think through the implications for the management of a wide range of contemporary problems.’
The Director of Oxford’s Global Economic Governance Programme, Dr Ngaire Woods, gave the opening lecture last month on what she called a ‘silent revolution’ in global economic power. Dr Woods noted that for many years such power had been concentrated in a small number of industrialised countries. She argued, however, that emerging economies and societies from the developing world need to be invited at the top table, particularly in areas like monetary relations, the trading order and the oil market. Dr Woods warned that global economic governance was heading for a crisis, partly because ‘currently dominant powers only listen to their own voices’. Her message is that the implications of a shift in global economic power are not sufficiently appreciated and a rethink of relations between the institutions and newly emerging powers needs to take place, driven by a wider group of intellectuals and scholars.
Professor Simon Caney, from the University’s Department of Politics and International Relations, explored the issue of global justice and climate change. He discussed some of the most common approaches to climate change – for example seeing the issue in terms of cost/benefit analysis, of global public goods and of security – but argued that none of these could escape the need to address questions of justice head-on. He then explored the normative issues involved in the treatment of risk and uncertainty; the weight to be given to the interests of future generations; the choice of who should be protected against the security impacts of climate change and by whom; and, above all, how the costs and benefits of providing global public goods are to be equitably distributed and who should make these global decisions.
Other Oxford academics who will feature in the lecture series include:
· Professor Hew Strachan, the Director of the Leverhulme Changing Character of War Programme, who will give a lecture on 12 November on 'The Changing Character of War’
· Professor Paul Collier, from the Department of Economics, who will lecture on 19 November on 'Economic Development and Violent Conflict’
· Professor Frances Stewart, Director of Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity, will give a lecture on 26 November on ‘Inequality and Violent Conflict’
The lectures will take place at 5pm at the Manor Road Building, Manor Road, Oxford.