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242. Innovations in Global Governance: Toward a Distributed Internet Governance Ecosystem
- Author:
- Stefaan G. Verhulst, Beth S. Noveck, Jillian Raines, and Antony Declercq
- Publication Date:
- 12-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- The growth and globalization of the Internet over the past 40 years has been nothing short of remarkable. Virtually all sectors, from development to health care to education to politics, have been transformed. Yet developments in how the Internet is governed have not kept pace with this rapid technological innovation. Figuring out how to evolve the Internet's governance in ways that are effective and legitimate is essential to ensure its continued potential. Flexible and innovative decision-making mechanisms are needed in order to enable disparate governance actors to address and respond effectively as changes in the network occur. Actors need mechanisms to coordinate and cooperate around a variety of different governance approaches that may be used to address urgent issues that impact users in various ways from the local to global level. As for legitimacy in decision making, this is typically derived from citizen participation, or membership in a territorial community — an unobtainable metric for Internet governance given the global, cross-sector nature of the network. Internet governance frameworks have traditionally handled this challenge through interest group or stakeholder representation, limiting broader participation in certain kinds of governance decisions that increasingly impact all users across borders and cultures — and also by treating technical and informational Internet practices as falling within national borders, which has led countries to adopt divergent or competing approaches on issues that affect the stability of the global network, risking Internet fragmentation. enhanced coordination and cooperation across institutions and actors; increased interoperability in terms of identifying and describing issues and approaches for resolution throughout the ecosystem (i.e., creating a common Internet governance ontology); open information sharing and evidence-based decision making; and expertise- or issue-based organization to allow for both localization and scale in problem solving. In proposing ways to realize this framework, the paper draws on the lessons of open governance, adopting innovative techniques such as opening data, crowdsourcing and expert networks to facilitate coordination, information sharing, and evidence generation by and across increasingly diverse and global groups of Internet actors, who seek to address the current complex and pressing issues — from increasing access to privacy to cyber security — without risking the stability of the underlying network. The paper also calls for creating practical tools to support such an effective, legitimate and evolving Internet governance ecosystem, including an issue-based map and data repository of current responses to Internet-related governance issues, which can serve as a resource for modelling alternative approaches to tackling urgent issues. Although no right answer or single model for how to manage all issues of relevance to the Internet is suggested within this paper, the proposed framework intends to allow for diverse experiments in distributed governance approaches to learn what works and what does not.
243. Global Cybercrime: The Interplay of Politics and Law
- Author:
- Aaron Shull
- Publication Date:
- 06-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- Examining global cybercrime as solely a legal issue misses an important facet of the problem. Understanding the applicable legal rules, both domestically and internationally, is important. However, major state actors are using concerted efforts to engage in nefarious cyber activities with the intention of advancing their economic and geostrategic interests. This attempt to advance a narrow set of economic interests through cybercrime and economic cyber espionage holds to the potential to erode the trust in the digital economy that has been a necessary condition for the success of the Internet as an economic engine for innovation and growth. By pursuing these efforts, states are prioritizing short-term interests over long-term stability and a responsibly governed, safe and secure Internet platform. This paper explores the recent unsealing of a 31-count indictment against five Chinese government officials and a significant cyber breach, perpetrated by Chinese actors against Western oil, energy and petrochemical companies. The paper concludes by noting that increased cooperation among governments is necessary, but unlikely to occur as long as the discourse surrounding cybercrime remains so heavily politicized and securitized. If governments coalesced around the notion of trying to prevent the long-term degradation of trust in the online economy, they may profitably advance the dialogue away from mutual suspicion and toward mutual cooperation.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Crime, International Trade and Finance, Terrorism, and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, and Asia
244. The Politics of the "Unfinished Business": Bosnian Police Reform
- Author:
- Dejan Guzina and Branka Marijan
- Publication Date:
- 06-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- The recent protests in Bosnia-Herzegovina (henceforth, Bosnia) have once more shown the extent of the remaining challenges in the country. However, while many commentators have examined the political, economic and social roots of the protests, less attention has been paid to the role of the police in these events. Police confusion, their inability to respond to the street protests in a timely and professional manner, and allegations of the use of excessive force against protestors represent clear evidence that the stalled police reform in the country needs to be re-examined. After almost two decades of international assistance, first by the United Nations (UN) and later the European Union (EU), police reform in Bosnia remains incomplete. Since the 2012 closing of the EU police mission (EUPM) in Bosnia, the issue of police reform has been put on hold. Bosnia's multiple police services remain fragmented and lack transparency. More importantly, the lack of harmonization, coordination and civic oversight leads to political interference in policing.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Human Rights, Law Enforcement, and Reform
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and United Nations
245. National Ownership and Post-Conflict Peace Building: From Principle to Practice
- Author:
- Timothy Donais
- Publication Date:
- 06-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- There is a growing consensus, both within and outside the UN system, around the importance of national ownership for sustainable post-conflict peace building. Reflecting on the broader peace-building project in 2009, for example, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon invoked national ownership as a central theme, reflecting the common sense wisdom that any peace process not embraced by those who have to live with it is likely to fail (UN 2009).
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Governance, Reconstruction, and Peacekeeping
- Political Geography:
- United Nations
246. African Climate Change Negotiators Need a New Strategy
- Author:
- Barry Carin
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- There is currently little prospect of a successful international agreement resulting in effective, legally binding emission targets and significant "new and additional finance transfers" to developing countries; however, there is room for Africa to formulate an effective strategy in climate change negotiations. A bit player in climate change negotiations, with little leverage over the major emitting countries, Africa is wasting time with its current strategy of pursuing elusive emission targets and illusory financing. Africa can bring creative ideas to the negotiating table to reduce global emissions and enlarge "the size of the pie" for all parties. A strategic "carrot and stick" approach can make a positive contribution to an eventual international climate agreement and maximize Africa's portion of the expanded pie.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Energy Policy, Environment, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Africa
247. The African Union and the Post-2015 Development Agenda
- Author:
- Barry Carin
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- African countries are currently engaged at the United Nations (UN) to determine the post-2015 framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The post-2015 goals matter because they will guide the priorities of UN agencies, the multilateral development banks, bilateral development assistance and civil society organizations. It is in Africa's interests to ensure the post-2015 framework is congruent with African priorities. African Union negotiators must take a strategic approach in the current process to select the post-2015 development goals.
- Topic:
- Development, Governance, and Reform
- Political Geography:
- Africa and United Nations
248. Infrastructure and Sustainable Development Goals in the BRICS-Led New Development Bank
- Author:
- Kathryn Hochstetler
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- The BRICS countries held their annual meeting in Fortaleza, Brazil on July 15-17, 2014. While there, they formally launched their NDB, answering some of the many lingering questions about its function (BRICS 2014). The Shanghai based bank will have at least US$50 billion in initial capital, making it a significant new entrant into the sphere of global development finance. India will hold its first rotating presidency, but all five of the countries have particular roles to play. The lengthy presidential declaration gave little new information about the kinds of projects that will receive funding; however, simply repeating earlier statements that it will finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects. This policy brief examines how the NDB is likely to approach those two policy objectives, and notes a potential clash of these goals. There is already abundant evidence on this issue in the 2013 agreements and in the current financing patterns of the various national development banks of the BRICS member countries.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Climate Change, Development, and Environment
249. Power Shift and Renminbi Internationalization: Recommendations for the G20
- Author:
- Raluca Diana Ardelean and Mengun Zhang
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- China has gained substantial economic power in recent years, becoming the second-largest trading nation after the United States and the largest goods-trading nation since 2012 (Eichengreen 2014). It is also currently the largest source of savings and the largest potential source of capital for international investment (ibid.). Measured by GDP, China is now the second-largest economy in the world (see Figure 1), and the World Bank surmises it is likely to surpass the United States in 2014 (World Bank 2014). Because of China's growing economic importance, a shift in power is reasonably assumed. As its economic power grows, internationalization of the RMB has become a key policy goal for China, especially after the 2008 financial crisis (Zhang 2009; Park 2010; China Securities Regulatory Commission [CSRC] 2014). This goal demonstrates China's desire for better integration and representation in the international economic community and signals its willingness to perform internal financial reforms and take more responsibility in global economic affairs.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Monetary Policy
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, and Asia
250. Education in Emergencies: The Case of the Dadaab Refugee Camps
- Author:
- Hayley Mackinnon
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- Between 1991 and 2009, more than 2.5 million Somali citizens fled their homeland to Ethiopia, Djibouti and, most notably, Kenya, following the collapse of the Somalian government of Siad Barre. This led to violent clashes between various factional clan groups, and fighting to control land and resources ensued. This resulted in the displacement, starvation and slaughter of thousands of civilians, leading to a crisis that prompted international intervention during the 1990s.
- Topic:
- Development and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Africa, United Nations, and Ethiopia