Arguing Global Governance

‘An important theoretical contribution to the literature on global governance, with apposite contemporary applications. The editors and contributors synthesise Searle's institutional philosophy with argumentation theory into a novel deontology to explain how the structure of global governance arrangements are in part constituted by processes of argumentation between actors. This is a major constructivist contribution to our understanding of the social mechanisms by which global governance mechanisms are constructed.’ -Rodney Bruce Hall, University of Oxford, UK

‘Though there is widespread agreement that many of the most pressing problems confronting the world require global solutions, there is far less agreement about the authority and ability of the agencies of global governance to provide them. The contributors to this innovative collection suggest that an answer lies in the power of argument to provide collectively binding common norms and goals that can transcend the myopia, self-interest and cultural misunderstandings that stand in the way of concerted action. A fruitful combination of theoretical and empirical enquiry, whereby a general framework is explored through a number of case studies, this collection offers a powerful and exemplary exploration of one of the most urgent challenges confronting international politics today.’ -Richard Bellamy, University College London, UK