Skip to content

Evaluating the quality of global governance: A theoretical and analytical approach

Cadman, Tim. 2012. Evaluating the quality of global governance: A theoretical and analytical approach. Earth System Governance Working Paper, No.20.

Abstract

Global governance, central to international rule making, is rapidly evolving; thus, there is a need for a way to evaluate whether institutions have the capacity to address the problems of the contemporary era. Current methods of evaluating governance quality are closely linked to legitimacy, about which there are competing definitional theories. This article uses a theoretical approach based around ‘new’ governance and the environmental policy arena to argue that contemporary governance is best understood as social–political interaction built on ‘participation as structure’ and ‘deliberation as process’, with the quality of this interaction ultimately determining legitimacy. It presents a new arrangement of the accepted attributes of ‘good’ governance using a set of principles, criteria and indicators, and relates these to the structures and processes of governance. The implications and application of the analytical framework are also discussed.

The Working Paper is available here (pdf).

You might like these publication categories

Recent publications

Earth System Governance – Volume 24

We are delighted to present the twenty-fourth volume of Earth System Governance, the open-access journal for all those interested in…

The Politics and Governance of Decarbonization: The Interplay between State and Non-State Actors in Sweden

This book examines how, and under what conditions, states – in collaboration with non-state actors – can govern a societal…

Sustaining Development in Small Islands: Climate Change, Geopolitical Security, and the Permissive Liberal Order

The viability of small island developing states (SIDS) is threatened by three distinct processes – a backlash against globalisation; rising…