World Governance

In the age of globalization and with increased interdependence in the world today, there is a question we may have to raise: Do we need, and could we attain, a world government capable of ensuring peace and facilitating worldwide well-being in a just and efficient way?There are obvious and strong arguments in favour of viable and sustainable world governance, even for a unified world state. Two of them seem to be especially strong: security, which is becoming more and more a matter of joint concern; and sustainability, which is increasingly visible in issues such as climate change, requiring unified and far-reaching action.One of the main objections raised against world governance is not that it is impractical, but that it is unnecessary and even undesirable. There is a fear that world government would be or become tyrannical. German philosopher Immanuel Kant devised a project of "perpetual peace," but he was against a world state, advocating instead a kind of confederation of the states in the world. Finally, if a world government is indeed formed, how far should the instruments and tools of such a body reach?These and other issues have been explored in this book. Covering a wide range of disciplines-from philosophy to jurisprudence, ethics, and social science-the book explores how theorists have reflected upon the necessary components of an effective global order.