Research by Professors Andrew F. Cooper and Bessma Momani published in Global Governance focused on the evolution and impact of the Global Governance Group as a mechanism for linking G-20 and non-G-20 states and enhancing the legitimacy and potential effectiveness of the G-20 on the global stage.
Key Findings
This research provides valuable insights on questions of how the workings of international institutions can be improved and also on how small states can gain influence in these institutions both symbolically and instrumentally.
Policy implications of research:
- New informal groups such as the 3G, made up of coalitions of small states, signal a shift, however subtle, in global governance.
- Over the long term, the inclusion of small state coalitions provides necessary legitimacy to organizations.
- For states which feel excluded from international processes, the best approach for influencing the system may be via engagement rather than confrontation.
- In addition to the cooperative approach, the experience of the 3G suggests that there is significant utility in framing the engagement in technical and procedural terms rather than political ones.