Edward Elgar Publishing (@elgarpublishing.bsky.social)

“Why Bother?” Reclaiming Global Governance in Troubled Times In the opening chapter of this new Research Handbook on Global Governance, Aoife O’Donoghue asks, “why bother?” In an age when international cooperation and collaboration is on the decline, attempts to work together to cut worldwide…

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“Why Bother?” Reclaiming Global Governance in Troubled Times In the opening chapter of this new Research Handbook on Global Governance, Aoife O’Donoghue asks, “why bother?” In an age when international cooperation and collaboration is on the decline, attempts to work together to cut worldwide carbon emissions or to bring about the end of prolonged conflict are pathetic at best and failing at worst, and faith in international institutions and organisations is dwindling, there seems little desire for global governance. Indeed, the fierce return of the rhetoric of state sovereignty in the last decade, and the performance of isolationist nationalism by right-wing, authoritarian populist governments around the world lessens the need for any mechanisms of governance beyond the state. A research handbook on Global Governance, which seeks to proffer new research agendas across the field, might feel too late in the circumstances. https://elgar.blog/2025/12/05/why-bother-reclaiming-global-governance-in-troubled-times/