Effective Multilateralism: Through the Looking Glass of East Asia

International Conference

School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University

Shanghai, China, 11-13 December, 2008

Generously supported by the British Academy and The Zvi Meitar/Vice-Chancellor Oxford University Research Prize in the Social Sciences, this conference examined the question of effective multilateralism in East Asia, investigating in particular six sets of questions:

(1) What factors explain whether collective action problems are likely to be addressed by means of formal international organizations (IOs) or by other means such as bilateralism, unilateralism, or networked forms of governance? How do we account for institutional choice?

(2) To what extent is 21^st Century regional cooperation informed by historical experiences of inter-state and sub-state violence?

(3) What is the role of major regional powers in addressing collective action problems, and how do we account for leadership? What is the relationship between multilateral outcomes and the evolving regional distribution of power? At the same time, to what extent are the policies of major regional powers defined by the increase of social, political, and economic interaction? Can we identify patterns of normative socialization?

(4) Which forms of regional-global interaction are most important and how can they best be conceptualized and theorized?

(5) At what point do states choose informal tracks parallel to and outside of the organization, rather than continue working with the formal or informal mechanisms available within the organization? What mechanisms – if any – do they adopt to retain some linkage with the formal IO, and to what end? What role is there for informal groups of major states that seek to bridge the gap between multilateral governance and more traditional concert-style diplomacy?

(6) What are the implications for our understanding of power, legitimacy, and organizational change within theories of global governance?

The conference brought together an international group of scholars to address those questions through examination of both conceptual issues as well as specific trans-national and trans-regional collective action problems. Starting from a thorough evaluation of key concepts of collective action, we investigated case studies in the fields of peace and security, global economy, and the environment.

The findings of the conference will be disseminated through an edited volume, published by a leading international University Press.

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	Whither Multilateralism? International Security Institutions and Informal Groups of States/Conference I
Project Summary Principal Investigator Workshop I Conference I	Effective Multilateralism: Through the Looking Glass of East Asia International Conference School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University Shanghai, China, 11-13 December, 2008 Generously supported by the British Academy and The Zvi Meitar/Vice-Chancellor Oxford University Research Prize in the Social Sciences, this conference examined the question of effective multilateralism in East Asia, investigating in particular six sets of questions: (1) What factors explain whether collective action problems are likely to be addressed by means of formal international organizations (IOs) or by other means such as bilateralism, unilateralism, or networked forms of governance? How do we account for institutional choice? (2) To what extent is 21^st Century regional cooperation informed by historical experiences of inter-state and sub-state violence? (3) What is the role of major regional powers in addressing collective action problems, and how do we account for leadership? What is the relationship between multilateral outcomes and the evolving regional distribution of power? At the same time, to what extent are the policies of major regional powers defined by the increase of social, political, and economic interaction? Can we identify patterns of normative socialization? (4) Which forms of regional-global interaction are most important and how can they best be conceptualized and theorized? (5) At what point do states choose informal tracks parallel to and outside of the organization, rather than continue working with the formal or informal mechanisms available within the organization? What mechanisms – if any – do they adopt to retain some linkage with the formal IO, and to what end? What role is there for informal groups of major states that seek to bridge the gap between multilateral governance and more traditional concert-style diplomacy? (6) What are the implications for our understanding of power, legitimacy, and organizational change within theories of global governance? The conference brought together an international group of scholars to address those questions through examination of both conceptual issues as well as specific trans-national and trans-regional collective action problems. Starting from a thorough evaluation of key concepts of collective action, we investigated case studies in the fields of peace and security, global economy, and the environment. The findings of the conference will be disseminated through an edited volume, published by a leading international University Press.
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