Unpacking the G20

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Unpacking the G20

Insights from the Summit

9781786433541 Edward Elgar Publishing
Hugo Dobson, School of East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield, UK
Publication Date: 2024 ISBN: 978 1 78643 354 1 Extent: 234 pp
This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com.

With a novel focus on the individual members of the G20, this innovative book explores the perspectives and behaviours of those within the global summit, unpacking what they are seeking to achieve, how they go about doing this, and the domestic impact of the G20.

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With a novel focus on the individual members of the G20, this innovative book explores the perspectives and behaviours of those within the global summit, unpacking what they are seeking to achieve, how they go about doing this, and the domestic impact of the G20.

Providing insights from the summit, Hugo Dobson comprehensively analyses the G20’s development and practices from the perspectives of the nineteen member states and one inter-governmental organisation that have shaped it. Chapters examine members’ reactions to the upgrading of the G20 to a summit of leaders in 2008, its development thereafter into the premier forum for international economic cooperation, and the expansion of its agenda beyond macroeconomic issues to a range of global collective action problems. Looking at its future from a country-specific perspective, Dobson concludes that the G20 will continue to engage with stakeholders and evolve in terms of its membership, as seen in the decision at the 2023 Delhi summit to include the African Union, thereby providing a basis for future research on its members’ perspectives, positions and behaviours.

This multidisciplinary book will be an invigorating read for students of international relations and politics, global governance, sustainable development, climate change and energy transitions, and security and terrorism. Its exclusive insights will also be of use to policymakers and third sector organisations who are stakeholders in the G20 process.
Critical Acclaim
‘This book is a highly valuable and very welcome addition to the scholarly literature on, and public understanding of, the Group of Twenty, by offering the first detailed look at its individual members’ priorities, roles and effectiveness within the G20 process and summits. With its insightful treatment of climate change, the energy transition and security, this book is a most timely, badly needed look at the G20 members’ response, together at the highest level, to the most critical, even existential, challenges of our time.’
– John Kirton, University of Toronto, Canada

‘Hugo Dobson’s book on the G20 is indispensable reading for making sense of shifting patterns of world politics. Dobson’s long experience as a summit watcher is on display with considerable value. Without getting bogged down with the intricacies concerning either the normative or technical debates about its role, Dobson’s “unpacking” showcases why an understanding of the G20 is so essential for a world caught between aspirations to global governance and the constraints imposed by national sovereignty and a return to geopolitics.’
– Andrew F. Cooper, University of Waterloo, Canada

‘This is a fantastic contribution and a must-read book for anyone interested in multilateralism and global governance. Making substantive theoretical and empirical contributions to the G20 literature, Professor Dobson remains one of the most important voices in the field.’
– Tristen Naylor, University of Cambridge, UK

‘The definitive update on the evolution of the Group of Twenty (G20), this book identifies key global governance efforts to manage the contested world economy, climate change and sustainability, and global security. Cutting across the traditional boundaries of international politics and diplomacy, political economy, and area studies, and written in Hugo Dobson’s trademark style of clarity and depth, it makes for a must read for scholars, students, policymakers, and thought leaders alike.’
– Gregory T. Chin, York University, Canada and Mayling Birney Global Scholar, The London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Contents
Contents:
1 Introduction
2 The G20 and its position within global governance
3 Managing the global economy
4 Sustainable development
5 Climate change and energy transitions
6 Security and terrorism
7 G20 summitry beyond global governance
8 Conclusions
Appendix 1: G20 summits, 2008–2025
Appendix 2: Attendance at G20 summits, 2008–2022
References
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