This book is a
sequel to the 1999 volume, Global
Public Goods: International Cooperation in the 21st Century.
The 1999 book
brought the concept of global public goods from the sheltered world of
academic microeconomists into the realm of national and international
policy analysis and policy-making. While the earlier book introduced the
concept and how it could be applied as an analytical framework for various
global challenges, this new volume addresses issues of implementation and
suggests possible ways to make the concept operational. The key question
that the book seeks to answer is "What are feasible and desirable
steps towards enhancing the provision of global public goods in actual
practice?"
Since the 1999
volume was written, the globalization process has become increasingly
contested—both in the highest levels of decision-making as well as in
the streets. Globalization presents many challenges and risks, but these
challenges have a common root: the underprovision of global public goods.
Conversely, the many opportunities globalization presents often result
from an adequate and fair provision of such global public goods, such as
the international system of civil aviation or postal services. Many people
enjoy the availability of these goods and find that they contribute to
their well-being. Enhancing the provision of global public goods can thus
be seen as a means to better manage globalization. Therefore, the guiding
questions in preparing the book were: How can we enhance the provision of
global public goods and, in the process, how can we better manage
globalization?
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