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Perspectives on the G20: The Los Cabos Summit
Commentary Series
CIGI Experts
In advance of the Los Cabos G20 Summit, taking place in Mexico on June 18-19, 2012, CIGI experts offer perspectives and policy analysis on the most pressing issues facing the G20 leaders. Highlighting priorities of the Mexican G20 presidency’s agenda, the series includes commentaries on strengthening the financial system and fostering financial inclusion by Pierre Siklos and Paul Jenkins. James Haley, Thomas Bernes, Eric Helleiner and Bessma Momani provide perspectives on improving the international financial architecture. Manmohan Agarwal and Daniel Schwanen address economic stabilization and structural reforms. Jennifer Clapp discusses enhancing food security and addressing commodity food price volatility. Kathryn Hochstetler and Colin Bradford consider the promotion of sustainable development and green growth and Barry Carin examines the fight against climate change. Gordon Smith elaborates on the G20 process.
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Intellectual Property Rights and International Trade: An Overview
CIGI Papers No. 3
John Curtis
There have been extraordinary changes in intellectual property (commonly referred to as IP) law and policy over the last 20 years, many as the result of their intersection with international trade and the many international trade agreements negotiated during this period. The increase in cross-border exchanges of goods, services, capital and knowledge is one reason for this shift; structural changes in all economies — with knowledge emerging as society’s most important tradable economic asset — are another. Underlying this activity are changes to intellectual property rights laws and policies.
This paper, by former CIGI Distinguished Fellow John M. Curtis, attempts to answer questions arising from the central issue of ensuring that everyone in the globally connected world has equal access to the knowledge creation and innovation on which economic activity and human well-being are increasingly based. It includes a brief examination of economic theory and evidence through a discussion of the most relevant literature and provides a series of economic indicators that policy makers or negotiators might find useful in determining, from an economic standpoint, which issues in this rapidly evolving area are the most important.
Download this paper here.
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Post-2015 Goals, Targets and Indicators
Conference Report
Barry Carin and Nicole Bates-Eamer
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been remarkably successful in focusing attention and mobilizing resources to address the major gaps in human development, but future goals must reach beyond traditional development thinking to become higher sustainable one-world goals that apply to poor and rich countries alike. On April 10-11, 2012, CIGI and the Korean Development Institute co-hosted a conference at the OECD headquarters in Paris, France. Statisticians, metrics and issue experts, and development practitioners convened to discuss the options for indicators to underpin potential post-2015 development goals.
This conference report, prepared by CIGI Senior Fellow Barry Carin and Nicole Bates-Eamer, research assistant at the Centre for Global Studies, discusses possible indicators for 12 future potential goals. Reviewing a menu of indicators for the 12 candidate goals, this paper seeks to inform the future process of selecting the post-2015 successors to the MDGs, by contributing technical inputs to the official United Nations process. Rather than advocate any particular issue area, this paper provides a compendium of the best options for each goal.
Download the report here.
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Afghanistan as a Test of Canadian Politics: What Did We Learn from the Experience?
Afghanistan Papers No. 10
Stephen M. Saideman
The Canadian experience in Afghanistan reveals a great deal about Canada’s government and military, Stephen M. Saideman argues, given Canada’s prominent role and the high level of conflict. As a result of the Canadian Forces’ efforts, Canada went from being perceived poorly by its allies to being one of the war’s principal burden-bearers; however, the Canadian political system handled the conflict less well. In this paper, the tenth installment in CIGI’s Afghanistan Papers series, Saideman, Canada Research Chair in International Security and Ethnic Conflict at McGill University in Montreal, considers the impact and challenges of trying to build security, governance and development in Kandahar. Arguing that the Canadian Forces adapted skillfully over time, both in Afghanistan and in Ottawa, the author examines the challenges a minority government posed to the forces. Evaluating the Canadian government and military roles in the
conflict, Saideman considers the consequences for Canada’s next military engagement, concluding the paper by developing the implications for Canada’s future missions.
Download this paper here.
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Towards a Non-State Security Sector Reform Strategy
SSR Issue Paper No. 8
Michael Lawrence
While security sector reform (SSR) encompasses a range of efforts that contribute to peace, stability, democracy and development by improving the performance of a society’s security and justice institutions, the overall results of state-centric SSR over the last decade have been modest, at best. This paper, by CIGI Research Officer Intern Michael Lawrence, outlines a comprehensive strategy for engaging non-state actors in SSR. By synthesizing the emerging literature and developing new conceptual tools to advance policy and practice, the paper suggests the roles that non-state security providers should supply in reform efforts, outlines what such an approach might achieve, provides tools with which to understand who such actors really are, and clarifies how international actors could pursue such a strategy. The paper concludes that non-state engagement is a viable and attractive approach to SSR that merits further research and serious
policy-making consideration.
Download this paper here. |
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