Multi-Stakeholder Cooperation in Global Governance

Abstract

Over the past few decades, new forms of international cooperation have emerged that go beyond traditional intergovernmental multilateralism. In this new mode of global governance, “global public-private partnerships”, “multi-sectoral networks”, “multi stakeholder arrangements”, “plurilateral coalitions”, and “global public policy networks” bring multiple stakeholders – public, private and not-for-profit – together in common forums to engage in consensus-oriented problem-solving. Today, such multi-stakeholder cooperation can be identified in a variety of issue-areas across global, regional and local levels, involving a broad set of actors ranging from governments and international organizations to NGOs and transnational corporations. As such, these are initiatives that try to respond to the new challenges of governance in the age of globalization. This paper seeks to provide a brief overview of such multi-stakeholder initiatives. It attempts to address a number of important questions. Why have multi stakeholder cooperation emerged at the global level? What are the characteristics and functions of multi-stakeholder initiatives? What are the elements that make multi stakeholder initiatives a potentially useful tool in global governance? What factors contribute to the success of multi-stakeholder initiatives in enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of global governance?