The focus of Global Policy Analysis will be on the difficulties involved in agreeing and then implementing global policy across a range of issue areas selected to illustrate the need for some form of global governance. While there is an absence of a world government there is nevertheless a need for some form of governance (effectively what governments do) in many specific areas of global activity. The module will develop a conceptual understanding of governance and will use certain theoretical frameworks to provide a basis for the ongoing analysis of various illustrative examples. Notably we will utilise the theoretical framework based on regimes analysis.
Regimes can be defined as principles, norms, rules and decision-making principles, whether explicit or implicit, that produce convergence in the expectations of actors in a given issue area. These issue areas could include, for example, a trade regime, an international money regime, a nuclear energy regime, or an oceans regime. There is an assumption that there are significant issues areas of this type that share common policy problems.
We will define in much greater detail the idea of regimes in a later session after an exploration of the theme of governance.
Global policy arises from many places within what can be described as a mixed actor system that represents in itself a challenge to the more traditional state-centric image. We will consider a variety of types of actor including governments, international governmental organisations, international non-governmental organisations, and multi-national corporations.
Learning Outcomes:
After taking this module:
1. You should be able to demonstrate a critical understanding of a range of policy related theory (knowledge and understanding, learning)
2. You should be able to apply theory to analyse a range of global policy issues (application, enquiry, analysis, communication)
3. You should be able to demonstrate that you have acquired an appreciation of selected case studies based on key policy forums including international organisations.
The concept of ‘regime’ took on specific meaning in the study of international relations following pioneering work in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is a means of providing a common method of analysis applicable to issue areas that can be seen to require governance or organisation. By way of example, issue areas studied have included:
The international finance regime
The trade regime
Environmental regimes
The nuclear non-proliferation regime
Aviation regime
In each case reference can be made to the establishment of underlying principles and norms that in effect define the regime (e.g. the principle of reciprocity in the trade regime or the ‘precautionary principle’ in certain environmental regimes, or ‘open skies’ in the aviation regime). Once there is sufficient agreement around underlying norms and principles then a regime can acquire rules and decision-making procedures. These then allow governance to occur. Changes in principles or norms are changes of the regime while changes in rules and decision-making arrangements are merely changes within the regime (an example of such change would be the transition from the GATT to the WTO as a change of rules and decision-making. International organisations may play roles in the rules and decision-making, but some regimes have a number of organisations involved – such as the G.7, IMF, World Bank, and OECD in the international finance regime.
THe Migration regime:
In the post cold war world Migration has rapidly ascended the international agenda. The developed world today faces considerable in-migration (immigration) pressures, with major movements now being from the underdeveloped to the developed world. This is in stark contrast to the earlier part of 20th century, when migration flows were largely from the developed to the colonised third world and the new world.
In particular, refugee migration has increased considerably since 1945, and especially since 1989. In response to all the displacement of the second world war, the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees was adopted, and it is still supposed to govern the response of all signatory countries to the movements of refugees and claims for asylum. This Convention forms the basis of what can be described as a ‘migration regime’ governing states’ responses to refugees and asylum seekers.
In the same period, free (or economic) migration has also increased considerably. But in his area, states have no international obligations, and are free to determine how much, if any immigration they will allow, and whether they will permit out-migration (emigration) by their own nationals.
The tasks this week relate to broadly understanding the general causes and consequences of migration, of distinguishing between free and forced/refugee migration and focussing on assessing the nature and efficacy of the regime governing forced/refugee migration.
Visit the UNHCR website(www.unhcr.org) and read the text of the 1951 Convention, and study some of the statistical information available to get a sense of the magnitude of the current problem.
http://europa.eu/comm/justice_home/fsj/immigration/fsj_immigration_intro_en.htm presents a European view, including on progress towards an integrated European policy in this issue area.
Surf the internet for more material on these issues, but be careful to assess the sources before you accept any arguments as this is an area that draws opinions from all sorts of respectable and not-so-respectable contributors.
