What, Then, is ‘Global’ about Global Governance?

Abstract

This article explores whether the notion of globality is as integral to the various conceptualisations of “global governance” in the pertinent literature as one would justifiably assume. The conceptual analysis here concentrates on well-established clusters of meaning attached to global governance. The main observation is that the nature of globality remains conceptually underdeveloped in the self-conscious global governance literature. The main suggestion against this backdrop is that conceptual clarity is both necessary and possible. Closer reflection on the use of “global” as a linguistic qualifier might prove a useful starting point when seeking such clarity.