Discussion Questions

Use the questions below to structure a discussion on the promise and peril of challenges in governance. We offer some suggested sources to complement your consideration of these important issues.

1) We live in a world where thirteen of the top fifty economies are companies not countries. How does this affect the corporate world’s responsibility toward social issues and looming global challenges? How can companies ensure their own future prosperity by engaging these issues?

2) If we have truly transcended the Westphalian nation-state model, what is the next step then in the evolution of human governance? Will national governments be overwhelmed by this new environment in which they hold less power? Will they adapt to meet the constellation of new challenges and opportunities? Will authority become increasingly decentralized?

3) Is the proliferation of NGOs simply a result of government incompetence or is there more to the story? Are NGOs an innovation in human social organization and an important step forward for addressing global and local challenges? How can NGOs and governments work together to complement one another? How should the private sector involve itself in such coalitions?  

Bibliographic Materials from CSIS

The CSIS Hills Program on Governance works to develop an actionable agenda that promotes good governance at the intersection of the private and public sectors.

Visit the Global Strategy Institute’s Video Library for an interview with Norm Augustine, former Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation. 

Web Resources

The United Nations works to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, mediate interstate disputes, and promote respect for human rights.

The Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University is dedicated to leadership education and research. It provides research, profiles of role models, and public opinion data on leadership.

Based at the London School of Economics, the Centre for the Study of Global Governance works to heighten awareness of global issues by promoting interaction between academics, policymakers, journalists, and activists.

Further Reading

David Vogel, The Market for Virtue: The Potential and Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility (Washington: Brookings Institution Press, 2006).

Prahalad, C.K., The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits (Philadelphia: Wharton School Publishing, 2004).

Michael Edwards, Civil Society (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2004).

Margaret P. Karns and Karen A. Mingst, International Organizations: The Politics and Processes of Global Governance (Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2004).

Jean-Francois Rischard, High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them (New York: Basic Books, 2003).