Major International Issues I41019 WANG MENGDI I41011 LIUSHAN INTRODUCTION OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Transnational actors and international organizations in global politics

Table of Contents Actors and the new approaches in the Global politics Problems caused by the state-centric approach The nature of each different type of actor Conclusion- a complex world politics system

Actors and the new approaches in the Global politics Better understanding of political change should analyzing the relations between five main categories of political actors: 203 governments (193 members of the UN) Transnational companies (TNCs) Single-country non-governmental organizations Intergovernmental organizations International non-governmental organizations Pluralism All types of actor can affect political outcomes

Problems caused by the state-centric approach State-centric approach—two tier approach States are the main actors in international relations; other actors were given secondary status as non-state actors Problems with the state-centric approach Confusion over three meaning of ‘state’ The lack of similarity between countries(economy, population) State systems and international systems The difference between state and nation

The nature of each different type of actor Transnational companies (TNCs) What is TNCs engaging in transnational economic activities lobby foreign governments about trade have branches or subsidiaries outside their home country What caused by TNCs’ activities Financial flows, Triangulation of trade, Regulatory arbitrage Extraterritoriality and sovereignty Push towards the globalization of politics —global re-regulation

The nature of each different type of actor Non-legitimate groups and liberation movements The most important criminal industries are trading in arms and in drugs Most of the criminal or violent behaviors taking place in “failed states” Groups using violence to achieve political goals do not achieve legitimacy, but in exceptional circumstances they may be recognized as national liberation movements and take part in diplomacy

The nature of each different type of actor Non-governmental organizations Most transnational actors can gain recognition as NGOs by the UN, the ECOSOC statute provides an authoritative statement that NGOs have a legitimate place in intergovernmental diplomacy NGOs made the Internet a public system for communicate of diverse countries and individuals from all over the world Governments lost sovereignty because of the transnational relations of citizens, they cannot control the flow of information Four types of structure for cooperation International NGO Advocacy network Caucus Governance network

The nature of each different type of actor International organizations as structures of global politics International organization are structures for political communication Inter-state diplomacy and transnational relations are separate from each other, but in the hybrid international organizations, governments and NGOs can work together

a complex world politics system

Questions NPO is a nonprofit organization is an organization that has been formed by a group of people in order "to pursue a common not-for- profit goal“, what do you think is the difference between NGO and NPO? TNCs have a lot of negative impacts, but at the same time, it also contributes to the global economic development. Which one is more dominant ?

Poverty, development and hunger

Contents Introduction Conception of poverty International economic orders about development A critical alternative view and the orthodoxy incorporates criticisms of development Resistance, empowerment, and development An appraisal of the responses of the orthodox approach to its critics of development Some points about hunger

Introduction Economic gap: the richest 20 states increased their GDP per capita by nearly 300 per cent between the early 1960s and 2002, while the poorest 20 states achieved an increase of 20 per cent. International relations has been slow to engage with issues of development and poverty. Female continue to comprise the majority of the world poorest people. Since the 1980s and 1990s, Washington consensus showed the inequality within and between states. As the transition to market economies, millions of people thrown into poverty. Post-2008 financial and economic crisis intensified the poverty. Gendered outcomes of neo-liberal economic policies have been noted. Millennium Development Goals helped to reduce poverty.

Conception of poverty Material aspect and non-material aspect Main stream: based on money Since 1945, poverty is seen as an economic condition dependent on cash transactions in the market-place for its eradication. Critical alternative views-based on spiritual values and so on. Global institutions promote it extend beyond material indicators. Poverty moved up the global political agenda at the start of the twenty-first century, but the post-2008 financial and economic crisis may threaten further development.

Development : a contested concept

Economic liberalism and the post-1945 international economic order Protection trade policies of the 1930s UN, IMF, GATT provided the foundations of a liberal international economic order. (free trade, state intervention) In the early post-war and postcolonial decades, all states favor an important role for the state in development. At the end of cold war, neo-liberal economic and political philosophy dominated development thinking. Market’ s role enhanced. By the end of 1990s, post- Washington consensus stressed pro-poor growth and poverty reduction based on continued domestic policy reform and growth through trade liberalization.

The development achievement of the post-war international economic order. Orthodox approach think that states deeply into the trade liberalization in global have grown the fastest. Developing countries gained some during the post-war period. But these gains not been uniformly spread across all developing countries. Between 1990 and 2012, the proportion of people living on less than $1.25 a day declined from 43.1percent to 22.2 percent of global population(World Bank 2012a) From the late 1970s “trickle down” had not worked. GDP growth in developing countries was not reflect in society at large. It has Greater polarization in wealth. Alternative approach emphasize the distribution of gains, rather than growth. They believe economic liberalism has promoted the globalization, at the same time increased differentiation between and within states.

A critical alternative view of development Critical alternative ideas can be synthesized into an alternative approach. Disparate social movements not directly related to the development agenda have contributed to the flourishing of the alternative viewpoints. What Now? Another Development? Published in1975, argued that the process of development (1)need-oriented (2)endogenous (3)self-reliant (4)ecological sound (5)based on structural transformations Since then, various NGOs have campaigned for a form of development that takes aspects of this alternative approach on board.

Resistance, empowerment, and development Democracy is at the heart of the alternative conception of development. Grassroots movement their main concern is "environmental justice". They attach importance to whether the government reflects social justice in terms of environmental interests and distribution. With the further erosion of local community and further extension of the power of the market and transnational corporation, people express their resistance through the language of human rights (Evans 2005: Stammers 2009) The alternative conception of development therefore values diversity above universality, and is based on a different conception of right (Evan 2011). The alternative Declaration produced by the NGO forum at the Copenhagen Summit enshrines principles of community participation, empowerment, equity, self-reliance, and sustainability.

The orthodoxy incorporates criticisms The focus of development has shifted from growth to sustainable development, Which put forward in Brundtland report. The world bank accepted the concerns of report to some degree. And the bank moved to introduce more rigorous environmental assessments of its funding activities. The world bank came up with its Operational Policy4.20 on gender. With UNCED in June 1992, the idea that the environment and development were inextricably interlinked was taken further. Yet, underlying macroeconomic policy remains unchanged. An examination of the contribution of the development orthodoxy to increasing global inequality is not on the agenda. The gendered outcomes of macroeconomic policies are largely ignored.

An appraisal of the responses of the orthodox approach to its critics The central tool in international programs for reducing global poverty remains the large UN conference. These are often followed by ‘+5’mini-conferences intended to assess current progress and to further promote and refine agreements made earlier. Voices of criticism are growing in number and range, even among supporters of the mainstream approach. The social protest that accompanies economic globalization is regarded by some as a potential threat to the neo-liberal project. Thus, supports of globalization are keen to temper its most unpopular effects by modification of neo-liberal policies. The alternative view, marginal though it is, has had some noteworthy successes in modifying orthodox development.

The current depth of hunger across different world regions

Hunger Two schools of thought with regard to hunger: the orthodox ,nature-focused approach and society-focused approach. Nature-focused approach: identify the problem largely as one of overpopulation, and the entitlement. society-focused approach: see the problem more in terms of distribution. When explain hunger, orthodox approach emphasize the relationship between human population growth and the food supply. However, society-focused approach focuses on the distribution of food. Amartya Sen argues that famines have often occurred when there has been no significant reduction in the level of per capita food availability and some famines have occurred during years of peak food availability. Globalization can simultaneously contribute to increased food production and increased hunger.

Questions Two schools of thought For hunger, which one do you prefer? And what policy does your country launch to eradicate poverty and hunger? for example.. In the context of unequal global resource allocation, how can developing countries choose between economic development and sustainable development?