Governing anarchy : the new global governance model.

• Main Author: Ng, Bertram Jian Wen.
• Other Authors: Chong, Alan Chia Siong
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Political science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/53177
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

As globalization progresses, the system of states derived from the Treaty of Westphalia and the institutions developed to govern these actors face the pressure of obsolescence. The world is becoming increasingly interconnected economically, yet this interconnectivity does not translate well into global norms with respect to social behavior. International anarchy still exists as institutions struggle to develop a global governance system and pave the way for a global society. However, as long as the system of states remain the de facto model of international society, a successful global governance model will not emerge as heterogeneity increases the cost of government at both the state and global level. Classical political theory ignores any possibility of having actors smaller than the size of the state and therein lies the gap which we can explore possibilities. There is a need to examine the normative changes due to globalization in order to conceive a new model to replace the system of states with smaller units as the cost of government will be lower, and states would be further forced into greater interdependence. This increasing interdependence coupled with the smaller sized actors would allow a new global governance model to include not just the smaller sized actors, but also the non-state actors of which some are virtually the size of small states. If the world could conceive and accept a multiplicity of smaller sized actors, it would be possible to have enough actors to cover all the differences in ideology instead of forcing them into the system of states. When these smaller sized actors no longer have to deal with differences in practices and ideology from within and to enforce it on those around them, it would then be feasible to consider a model of global governance for the future.