Papers by Sean Cleary
In reflecting on the form of a rules-based international order that is appropriate for the presen... more In reflecting on the form of a rules-based international order that is appropriate for the present era, one must clarify the purposes of such an order, the structural and systemic characteristics that will enable realisation of those purposes, and the means by which the order may be brought into existence.
Even before Mr Trump’s election to the presidency of the United States, China had determined to “... more Even before Mr Trump’s election to the presidency of the United States, China had determined to “…lead the reform of the global governance system with the concepts of fairness and justice.” This found expression in President Xi Jinping’s announcement, in November 2015, of the theme for the 11th G20 Summit in Hangzhou: Build an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected, and Inclusive World Economy, premised on innovation, invigoration, interconnection, and inclusiveness. Beijing concluded that the global financial crisis of 2008-2014 showed that the West’s mode of economic development would not deliver the structural economic transformation needed for sustainable development. Having assessed China’s growth experience since 1979, the scale of its foreign exchange reserves, and its investment in complementary IFIs – the New Development Bank and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank - and transnational development programs – the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road -- the Central Committee of the CPC concluded that these allowed China to advance a new mode of sustainable economic development. In this paper prepared for the preparatory meeting of experts for the Imperial Springs International Forum 2018, Sean Cleary discusses the need to balance effectiveness and legitimacy in a new international governance system, to meet the present needs of transnational governance, while respecting the diversity of cultures and related values of the powers competing for influence.
The article locates modern forms of representtive democracy in an historical context, clarifies t... more The article locates modern forms of representtive democracy in an historical context, clarifies the challenges it faces today and discusses the adaptations required to render it fit for purpose in a changing world.
Tensions between national democratic accountability and transnational challenges undermine trust ... more Tensions between national democratic accountability and transnational challenges undermine trust and collective action. Asymmetry between an integrated global economy, fragmented global community, and defective global polity, causes social turbulence. Facing technological disruption, we need a new order to address inequality; transform education; and build social capital. Diplomatic exchanges will not suffice, bur the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030 were enabled by bottom-up deliberations. The author proposes a UN conference of states to decide how to balance environmental sustainability, economic development and human security, after consultations on national proposals between policymakers, business and civil society, on principles, underlying values and legal norms.
Drafts by Sean Cleary
We must
accommodate to planetary boundaries and make welfare more inclusive
Enhance security and... more We must
accommodate to planetary boundaries and make welfare more inclusive
Enhance security and mitigating potentially catastrophic systemic risks is essential.
Our growth models must be adjusted to provide:
an ethos that legitimises restraints on carbon emissions, excessive consumption and waste; and
new development models that enable poverty reduction and social progress, despite lower growth in [global] levels of production, trade, transportation and wholesale and retail distribution ...
We need:
a better understanding of the workings of the social, economic and technological systems we have built, and the ecosystem in which we are embedded;
broader and deeper agreement on the norms needed to mitigate risk, reduce vulnerability, and enhance security and sustainability; and
better understanding of appropriate scales
We cannot simply assert a cannon of norms for global governance. A global society comprises ’ . .... more We cannot simply assert a cannon of norms for global governance. A global society comprises ’ . . . a group of states, conscious of . . . common interests and common values . . . that conceive themselves to be bound by a common set of rules in their relations to one another.” xlvii
The challenge is thus to clarify the interests and values that we have in common, and to define a set of rules that all can accept in shaping inter-state behaviour, and in guiding our efforts to address the global commons.
Book Reviews by Sean Cleary
A review of Klaus Schwab's book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, commenting on insights and per... more A review of Klaus Schwab's book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, commenting on insights and perspectives, and identifying areas on concern.
Conference Presentations by Sean Cleary
Interactions between several megatrends are shaping the emerging global landscape – major shifts ... more Interactions between several megatrends are shaping the emerging global landscape – major shifts eastwards in the geo-economic centre of gravity; higher returns to capital and falling returns to labour, exacerbated by the emergence and rapid advancement of disruptive, congruent technologies, leading to employment losses, declining productivity and anaemic growth in most advanced, and many emerging and developing, economies. These trends are weakening the institutions of representative democracy, sharpening geopolitical tensions, and engendering waves of migration, placing stress on receiving societies, and promoting nativism and populism. These challenges to the paradigm of globalization, and to global and regional governance, require a new normative consensus and an ethos that separates well-being from excess in a highly unequal world on 7.5 billion people pushing against planetary boundaries in many dimensions.
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Papers by Sean Cleary
Drafts by Sean Cleary
accommodate to planetary boundaries and make welfare more inclusive
Enhance security and mitigating potentially catastrophic systemic risks is essential.
Our growth models must be adjusted to provide:
an ethos that legitimises restraints on carbon emissions, excessive consumption and waste; and
new development models that enable poverty reduction and social progress, despite lower growth in [global] levels of production, trade, transportation and wholesale and retail distribution ...
We need:
a better understanding of the workings of the social, economic and technological systems we have built, and the ecosystem in which we are embedded;
broader and deeper agreement on the norms needed to mitigate risk, reduce vulnerability, and enhance security and sustainability; and
better understanding of appropriate scales
The challenge is thus to clarify the interests and values that we have in common, and to define a set of rules that all can accept in shaping inter-state behaviour, and in guiding our efforts to address the global commons.
Book Reviews by Sean Cleary
Conference Presentations by Sean Cleary
accommodate to planetary boundaries and make welfare more inclusive
Enhance security and mitigating potentially catastrophic systemic risks is essential.
Our growth models must be adjusted to provide:
an ethos that legitimises restraints on carbon emissions, excessive consumption and waste; and
new development models that enable poverty reduction and social progress, despite lower growth in [global] levels of production, trade, transportation and wholesale and retail distribution ...
We need:
a better understanding of the workings of the social, economic and technological systems we have built, and the ecosystem in which we are embedded;
broader and deeper agreement on the norms needed to mitigate risk, reduce vulnerability, and enhance security and sustainability; and
better understanding of appropriate scales
The challenge is thus to clarify the interests and values that we have in common, and to define a set of rules that all can accept in shaping inter-state behaviour, and in guiding our efforts to address the global commons.