Prof. Andrew F. Cooper part of the 8th Käte Hamburger Lecture, "The Rise of Informal Summitry: Implications for Global Governance" in Germany

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

In the 8th Käte Hamburger Lecture, Prof. Andrew Cooper will examine the rise of pivotal informal summitry/organizations, above all the G20 and the BRICS, and the implications of this phenomenon for global governance. At a basic level informal organizations differ from the formal institutions such as the United Nations (UN) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a number of key ways: membership structure; foundational or legitimizational character and level of bureaucracies. This shift from a hub club to a focal point network can be interpreted as a sign of constraint with a loss of momentum. At the same time, this shape shifting has potential for innovation in modes of cooperation.
     
Notwithstanding images of fragility, both the G20 and BRICS have consolidated their positions as focal points in which key global issues are discussed if not negotiated. While meriting attention for their own unique characteristics, the G20 and BRICS can also be used as a barometer for how and where regional organizations are bending towards similar informal patterns.