World Governance

In the age of globalization and with increased interdependence in the world today, there is a question we should raise: 'do we need, and could we attain, a world government capable of ensuring peace and facilitating worldwide well-being in a just and efficient way?' There are obvious and strong arguments in favour of viable and sustainable world governance, and even for a unified world state. Two such arguments seem to be especially strong: security, which is becoming more and more a...
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In the age of globalization and with increased interdependence in the world today, there is a question we should raise: 'do we need, and could we attain, a world government capable of ensuring peace and facilitating worldwide well-being in a just and efficient way?' There are obvious and strong arguments in favour of viable and sustainable world governance, and even for a unified world state. Two such arguments seem to be especially strong: security, which is becoming more and more a matter of joint concern; and sustainability, which is increasingly visible in issues such as climate change, requiring unified and far-reaching action. One of the main objections raised against world governance is not that it is impractical, but that it is unnecessary and even undesirable. There is a fear that world government would be, or would become, tyrannical. German philosopher Immanuel Kant devised a project of perpetual peace, but he was against a world state, advocating instead a kind of confederation of the states in the world. Finally, if a world government is indeed formed, how far should the instruments and tools of such a body reach? These and other issues have been explored in this book. Covering a wide range of disciplines-from philosophy to jurisprudence, ethics, and social science-this book explores how theorists have reflected upon the necessary components of an effective global order. Contributors to this volume include Richard Falk, Michael Walzer, Stanley Hoffman, Thomas Pogge, Jan Narveson, Larry May, Allen Buchanan, Robert Keohane, Alfred Rubin, Virginia Held, Anthony Ellis, Pauline Kleingeld, Ingeborg Maus, and Luis Cabrera.