ABSTRACT
The problématique of global governance may be simply stated: the evolution of institutions of international governance has lagged behind the rapid emergence of collective problems with on-border and cross-border dimensions, especially those that are global in scope or potentially so. Depending on the issue area, geographic location, and timing, there are vast disparities in power and influence among states, international organisations, corporations, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Consequently, today’s world is governed by a ‘crazy quilt’ or patchwork of authority that is as diffuse as it is contingent (Rosenau 1999: 293). In particular, the international intergovernmental institutions that collectively underpin global governance are insufficient in number, inadequately resourced and sometimes incoherent in their separate policies and philosophies.
