ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book outlines an interpretative framework for contemporary shifts within the western political sphere on the basis of the concept of global leadership. Global political leadership refers to relations between state leaders and a variety of other actors actively engaged in generating global change. The fact that different actors using different means are engaged in the provision of global public goods expands the analytical scope of this research, not limiting it to international politics, as is traditionally associated with interstate relations. The issue of global leadership is not sufficiently explored in the literature on international relations, while it is widely used by managerial and organisational studies. It should be noted, however, that not only firms, but all social organisations have ‘gone global’ over the last 30 years – they are more interconnected and definitely more dependent on global processes.
