Global Governance Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Global Governance distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

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Quick Reference

Multilateralism

The practice of coordinating policies and actions among three or more states through international institutions, treaties, and shared norms rather than through unilateral action or bilateral agreements alone.

Sovereignty

The principle that each state has supreme authority within its territory and is legally equal to other states in the international system, forming the foundational norm of the Westphalian state system.

International Regimes

Sets of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures around which actors' expectations converge in a given area of international relations.

Collective Action Problem

A situation in which all actors would benefit from cooperation but individual incentives to free-ride or defect prevent optimal outcomes, a central challenge in global governance.

Supranational Authority

A form of governance in which member states delegate decision-making power to an institution that can make binding decisions above the national level, going beyond mere intergovernmental cooperation.

Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

A global political commitment endorsed by UN member states in 2005, establishing that sovereignty entails a responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity, and that the international community should act when a state fails to do so.

Global Commons

Resource domains or areas that lie outside the political reach of any single nation-state, including the high seas, the atmosphere, outer space, and Antarctica, requiring cooperative governance frameworks.

Non-State Actors

Entities that participate in international relations and governance processes but are not sovereign states, including international organizations, NGOs, multinational corporations, and transnational advocacy networks.

Soft Law

Non-binding international instruments such as declarations, resolutions, guidelines, and codes of conduct that influence state behavior through political commitment and normative pressure rather than legal obligation.

Democratic Deficit

The perceived gap between the authority exercised by international institutions and the ability of ordinary citizens to hold those institutions accountable through democratic participation and oversight.

Key Terms at a Glance

Anarchy (International Relations):The absence of a central authority above sovereign states in the international system, which is the foundational condition that makes global governance necessary and challenging.

Bretton Woods System:The post-World War II international monetary system established in 1944, which created the IMF and World Bank and pegged currencies to the US dollar convertible to gold.

Collective Security:A system in which states agree that an attack on one is an attack on all, committing to collective response against aggressors to deter conflict.

Constructivism:An international relations theory emphasizing that international norms, identities, and shared ideas shape state behavior and the evolution of global governance structures.

Democratic Deficit:The gap between the decision-making authority of international institutions and the degree to which those affected can participate in or hold those institutions accountable.

Functionalism:A theory of international integration holding that cooperation in technical and economic areas gradually spills over into political integration, building governance institutions incrementally.

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT):A multilateral agreement governing international trade from 1947 to 1994, which was succeeded by the World Trade Organization. GATT reduced tariffs through successive negotiating rounds.

Global Commons:Resource domains or areas beyond national jurisdiction, including the high seas, atmosphere, outer space, and Antarctica, requiring international cooperative governance.

Hegemony:The dominance of one state over others in the international system, often providing the stability and public goods that undergird global governance arrangements.

Human Security:An approach to security that shifts the focus from state-centric military threats to the safety, well-being, and dignity of individuals, encompassing economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, and political dimensions.

International Law:The body of rules and principles that govern relations between states and other international actors, derived from treaties, customary practice, and general principles of law.

International Monetary Fund (IMF):An international organization of 190 member countries that promotes global monetary cooperation, financial stability, international trade, and sustainable economic growth.

International Regime:A set of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures around which actors' expectations converge in a specific issue area of international relations.

Legitimacy:The belief that an institution or authority has the right to govern, derived from procedural fairness, representation, effectiveness, and conformity with established norms.

Liberal Institutionalism:An international relations theory arguing that international institutions facilitate cooperation by reducing transaction costs, providing information, and creating expectations of reciprocity.

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