Periodic Reporting for period 3 - GLOBE (Global Governance and the European Union: Future Trends and Scenarios)
Reporting period: 2021-05-01 to 2022-12-31
The project “Global Governance and the European Union: Future Trends and Scenarios” (GLOBE) approaches the issues identified in the European Commission’s call on “Governance for the Future”. The GLOBE project specifically concerns the need to understand “Trends and forward-looking scenarios in global governance” by focusing on global problems which are defined as strategic priorities, including trade and development, security and the politics of climate change (EU Global Strategy, 2016). Further to the proposed research, GLOBE has chosen to include the challenges of migration and global finance into its analysis. It will integrate a gender-sensitive approach in its research of the above issues and scenarios in order to contribute to a change of values at the international level, paving a path for the development of an inclusive society. For each of the global challenges noted, the GLOBE project intends to identify the major roadblocks to effective and coherent global governance by multiple stakeholders in a multipolar world. GLOBE works across 11 working packages, and divides its research into two clusters. GLOBE’s first overall objective is to provide an understanding of the current dynamics of global governance to enable the EU to navigate itself more effectively in its ambition to solve the aforementioned global challenges. GLOBE’s second main objective is to contribute to the EU’s knowledge-based economy and society.
The first year of the GLOBE project was primarily devoted to setting in place management, methodological and communication frameworks and laying the groundwork for the first deliverables (working papers) in WPs 3-6. A Project Evaluation and Implementation Plan (PEIP) was drafted. The management team put a particular focus on ensuring close and regular interaction between the many researchers and the different work packages of the project. This was achieved primarily through a series of work package meetings, workshops, and exchanges in the context of project-related or external academic events, but also by informal communication via email and by phone. Finally, an internal peer-review mechanism has been developed, which has been applied for the first deliverables (3.1 4.1 5.1 6.1). IBEI developed the Data Management Plan as well as a Project Handbook in the first months of the project February – April 2019. Gender mainstreaming was applied in many different fields. It was implemented in the fields of research, including the gender perspective in the mapping paper on security. Also, a gender equality committee was established and the incorporation of female researchers has been considered a top priority by all GLOBE institutions. With regard to communication, KU Leuven and IBEI (WP11) drafted GLOBE’s Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Strategy (CDE Strategy, September 2018) on the basis of which a range of core communication channels were established, including the GLOBE website (www.globe-project.eu) an extensive mailing list, several highly active social media profiles, and a blog, which up to date (February 2020) includes 13 blog posts. We also organized a webinar series that kicked off in January 2020.
After the establishment of the GLOBE structures in the first reporting period of the project (January 2019 - December 2019), the second period (January 2020 – April 2021) was primarily devoted to the scientific production of working papers, which aimed to map the landscape of global governance in the fields analysed by GLOBE, such as trade and development, security and migration, climate change and global finance. These working papers were published in Work Packages (WP) 2-6, and were the basis for the deliverables (DEL) developed in WP 7, WP8, WP 9, and WP 10, such as the working paper on cross-cutting issues (DEL 7.1) the working paper on the shortcomings of the current governance and institutional models (DEL 8.1).
Based on Work Packages 3-6, GLOBE launched a further Work Package which, by merging the results of previous GLOBE research, has examined questions of cross-cutting global governance issues (WP 7). GLOBE also started WP 8, which after the analysis of the global governance fields in cluster 1 coupled with the identification of the cross-cutting issues (WP 7), examines several shortcomings in the current prevalent governance models, in particular intergovernmental organisations, self-regulation and traditional international law. To do that, it focused on innovative governance models with tasks examining current governance and institutional models’ shortcomings (DEL 8.1) the potential of multistakeholder governance (DEL 8.2) informal intergovernmental governance and informal law-making (DEL 8.3) as well as the potential of experimental governance (DEL 8.4). During the reporting period, GLOBE developed a survey aimed at international organisations (IOs) on the future of Global Governance, which was launched in May 2021. The main body of the survey focuses on perceptions of staff members of IOs (secretariats) about their organisations, the complex regimens in which they are embedded, and the global challenges they face. In addition, GLOBE research also integrated two survey experiments into the survey (more info in 1.2 WP 2).GLOBE research has also developed big data-based indices and visualisations tailored to meet the research needs of our thematic focuses (WPs 3-6), as well as a publicly available data tool on the GLOBE website.
After the establishment of the GLOBE structures in the first reporting period of the project (January 2019 - December 2019), the second period (January 2020 – April 2021) was primarily devoted to the scientific production of working papers, which aimed to map the landscape of global governance in the fields analysed by GLOBE, such as trade and development, security and migration, climate change and global finance. These working papers were published in Work Packages (WP) 2-6, and were the basis for the deliverables (DEL) developed in WP 7, WP8, WP 9, and WP 10, such as the working paper on cross-cutting issues (DEL 7.1) the working paper on the shortcomings of the current governance and institutional models (DEL 8.1).
Based on Work Packages 3-6, GLOBE launched a further Work Package which, by merging the results of previous GLOBE research, has examined questions of cross-cutting global governance issues (WP 7). GLOBE also started WP 8, which after the analysis of the global governance fields in cluster 1 coupled with the identification of the cross-cutting issues (WP 7), examines several shortcomings in the current prevalent governance models, in particular intergovernmental organisations, self-regulation and traditional international law. To do that, it focused on innovative governance models with tasks examining current governance and institutional models’ shortcomings (DEL 8.1) the potential of multistakeholder governance (DEL 8.2) informal intergovernmental governance and informal law-making (DEL 8.3) as well as the potential of experimental governance (DEL 8.4). During the reporting period, GLOBE developed a survey aimed at international organisations (IOs) on the future of Global Governance, which was launched in May 2021. The main body of the survey focuses on perceptions of staff members of IOs (secretariats) about their organisations, the complex regimens in which they are embedded, and the global challenges they face. In addition, GLOBE research also integrated two survey experiments into the survey (more info in 1.2 WP 2).GLOBE research has also developed big data-based indices and visualisations tailored to meet the research needs of our thematic focuses (WPs 3-6), as well as a publicly available data tool on the GLOBE website.
GLOBE has already reached substantial impact through its website, above all in form of blogs, and the policy paper. The Journal of European Integration has accepted a special issue submitted by the GLOBE consortium. The Special Issue is entitled: Navigating Complexity: The European Union in Global Governance. GLOBE has started to build up a network of academics and practitioners to foster debates about the future of global governance and the EU’s role in it, which we plan to expand in the next years. GLOBE will continue to disseminate and exploit innovative ideas, solutions and products through several webinars and academic events. A survey aimed at the secretariat of International organizations was launched in 2021, focusing on their perceptions on the future of global governance. In addition, GLOBE created a data set on Global Governance dataset and global governance research centers. Through the Advisory Board, GLOBE forms partnerships with individuals and collective actors to receive input and foster their capacity to disseminate results and ideas. We also plan to invite stakeholders to contribute to GLOBE’s ongoing debates. The first mapping papers have shown that European and international collaboration has achieved more than would have otherwise been possible, including some of the EU’s most relevant questions such as security, migration and climate change. GLOBE started to hire and train a young generation of scholars in a multinational, truly European and interdisciplinary research context that contributes to existing research debates by adding innovative findings at the highest international level.