Globalisation is in a process of transition. Five years after the global financial crisis erupted, some areas of ‘globalisation management’ – notably the financial sector – have been closely scrutinised, resulting in new regulation. Institutions like the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the global trading system more broadly, have received praise for helping to avoid the same degree of protectionism that undermined global efforts to recover from the great depression of the 1930s.
Two major multilateral agencies have elected BRICS candidates (that is, candidates from Brazil, Russia, India, China or South Africa) as their Directors-General in the last two months. Are we seeing signs of increased leadership in global governance from the BRICS countries?
What changes does the European Union (EU) need to make in the development arena if it is to remain both relevant and useful? How can it make the leap from ‘old aid’ to ‘new development’? Who should it work with to do this? What must be on the agenda for the European parliament elections in 2014 and the appointment of a new European Commission?
