皇家华人

On 19 June 2023, UCL鈥檚 Global Governance Institute (GGI) celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a thought-provoking symposium organised by Dr Tom Pegram, Deputy Director of the GGI. This intellectual gathering offered a platform for various experts to analyse the current state of global governance, scrutinising its impact on fields as diverse as law, politics, science, and development.

The central theme that emerged was a search for the future trajectory of global governance, both in policy-making and academic circles. The conversation was further shaped by the challenges posed by the ongoing 鈥減olycrisis鈥� 鈥� a term reflecting the manifold and compounding global difficulties we face today. Participants engaged in a lively debate on the shape of the crisis landscape, factors inhibiting adequate policy responses and the role of the research community within and beyond the university in responding to the prevailing reality 鈥� with a view to deepening understanding of the globalised and interconnected nature of both policy problems and their potential solutions.

The day began with a keynote seminar by Professor Sir Michael Marmot (UCL Institute of Health Equity), a key advisor to the WHO Director-General. The discussion, titled 鈥楾he Role of Evidence in Creating Fairer Societies in a Post-Covid World,鈥� underscored the escalating inequalities intensified by Covid-19 and neoliberal globalisation. Professor Marmot compellingly argued that local and global health governance leaves much to be desired, but saw promise in the commitment of some local health authorities to health equity and the potential for such initiatives to scaled up through multilateral cooperation.

The subsequent panel session, 鈥楽cholarly perspectives on After Global Governance,鈥� challenged participants to propose innovative solutions for a post-globalisation world. Contributions ranged from an analysis of the instability associated with multipolarity in global governance by Dr Philip Cunliffe, to an exploration of Brexit鈥檚 impacts on environmental protections by Professor Maria Lee. Additionally, Professor Elaine Unterhalter critiqued global governance鈥檚 insufficient progress towards achieving sustainability and equality, especially in the realm of education for women and girls.

A roundtable discussion, guided by Dr Pegram, sought to explore the current global 鈥榩olycrisis鈥� further. Speakers, including Rosie Collington, a PhD candidate at 皇家华人 and author of the recent book The Big Con (with Mariana Mazzucato), and Adrienne Buller, UCL Global Governance and Ethics MSc alumna, argued for more fluidity between academic, scientific, and policy spheres. Vinay Gupta, CEO of Mattereum, controversially proposed that the perceived 鈥榩olycrisis鈥� is a misrepresentation of our collective failure to address climate and ecological crises.

To conclude the day, Dr Jonathan Rowson, Co-founder and Chief Executive of Perspectiva, offered a thought-provoking take on our current predicament under the title 鈥楾en Premises: The Hidden Curriculum of the 21st Century,鈥� advocating for an ambitious academic general project to decipher why tangible solutions to our 鈥榩olycrisis鈥� remain elusive. This sparked a profound socio-philosophical debate around the potential need to challenge orthodox understandings and praxis within policy-making and academia, with Professor James Wilson offering his reflections on the productive tension between the academic generalist and the expert.

Reflecting on a day marked by incisive discussions and rich insights, the UCL GGI anniversary symposium shone a light on the challenges and potential directions for global governance. 聽It underscored the importance of breaking down disciplinary silos, embracing the uncertainties that lie ahead, and rethinking our approach to ensure a fairer, more sustainable world. The future may be complex and challenging, but it is clear that the role of institutes like GGI in shaping that future remains crucial.

We are very grateful to all of our colleagues and friends within the GGI network who were able to join us for such a rich and stimulating day鈥檚 discussion:

• Dr Seebal Aboudounya, Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in International Development, Department of Political Science, University College London
• Professor Kristin M Bakke, Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Department of Political Science, University College London
• Professor Brad Blitz, Professor International Politics and Policy, Department of Education, University College London
• Adrienne Buller, author and Senior Research Fellow at Common Wealth. Alumna of the MSc Global Governance and Ethics programme, University College London
• Dr Rochelle Burgess, Associate Professor in Global Health and Deputy Director of the UCL Centre for Global Non-Communicable Diseases, Institute of Global Health, University College London
• Professor Madeline Carr, Professor of Global Politics and Cyber Security, Department of Computer Science, University College London
• Professor Elaine Chase, Professor of Education, Wellbeing and International Development, Institute of Education, University College London
• Dr Simon Chin-Yee, Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in International Development, Department of Political Science, University College London
• Professor David Coen, Professor of Public Policy, Department of Political Science, University College London
• Rosie Collington, political economist, author and PhD candidate, Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, University College London
• Professor Anthony Costello, Professor of International Child Health, Institute for Global Health, University College London
• Dr Philip Cunliffe, Associate Professor in International Relations, Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London
• Professor Jason Dittmer, Professor of Political Geography, Department of Geography, University College London
• Dr Veronika Fikfak, Associate Professor in International Law, Department of Political Science, University College London.
• Dr Jared Finnegan, Lecturer in Public Policy, Department of Political Science, University College London
• Vinay Gupta, CEO and Founder of Mattereum and former Associate Fellow at the UCL Institute for Strategy, Resilience & Security
• Dr Alexandra Hartman, Associate Professor in Qualitative Research Methods
• Professor Sarah Hawkes, Professor of Global Public Health and Director of the Centre for Gender and Global Health, Institute of Global Health, University College London
• Dr Nick Hughes, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London
• Laurie Laybourn, environmental policy researcher and author, Associate Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research and Visiting Fellow at the Chatham House Sustainability Accelerator
• Professor Maria Lee, Professor of Law, Faculty of Laws, University College London
• Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology, Director, UCL Institute of Health Equity, University College London
• Professor J.P. MacIntosh, Professor and Director of the Institute for Security & Resilience Studies, University College London
• Dr Tom Pegram, Associate Professor in Global Governance, Department of Political Science, University College London
• Professor Chris Rapley CBE, Professor of Climate Science, University College London, Chair of European Space Agency (ESA), Director General's High Level Science Policy Advisory Committee
• Dr Aparna Ravi, Lecturer (Teaching) in International Political Economy, Department of Political Science, University College London
• Jonathan Rowson, author, philosopher, and Co-founder and Chief Executive of Perspectiva
• Dr Hannah Sender, Research Fellow, Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London
• Molly Turner, student on the MA in Human Rights, University College London
• Professor Elaine Unterhalter, Professor Education and International Development, Institute of Education, University College London
• Professor James Wilson, Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, University College London.