Global-Local Governance

The global meets the local when international and universally accepted human rights norms are used as reference points in day-to-day practice by local communities and individuals, such as human rights defenders. This has dramatically changed modes of governance.

Glocal Governance is vertical governance based on consensus building, governmental governance is consultative even elective, and hierarchical. This no longer responds to the needs and challenges in the Anthropocene in which more and more individuals, communities and informal sectors take over governmental tasks and responsibilities. 

Glocal Governance is already practiced in different ways around the world. It is not the exception of governance when we look for solutions through CSO consultation, public-private partnership in public policy, or shifting gradually to multi-stakeholder modes to legitimize and authorize our decisions. The state becomes the periphery, sidelined and often unwilling or incapable to intervene. Over the past three decades, global developments and movements, including the UN SDGs and rise of regional organizations, have side-lined the role of States.

See my open access book on ‚Glocal Governance: How to govern in the Anthropocene, Springer 2022′