Animated by theoretical eclecticism and methodological diversity, ‘Power Shifts and Global Governance: Challenges from South and North’ presents a 'post-national' political project for analyzing emerging architectures of global governance and examining country and regional case studies from the perspective of  'great power shifts' in the twenty-first century. Using theoretical insights from neo-Kantians and neo-institutionalists, the book explores the contested meanings and practices of globalization and polycentric governance in the context of emerging powers such as China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, and examines the implications of shifts in the foreign and domestic policies of the new powers in the world. The book not only reflects on the fundamental erosion of an international order in which Western societies enjoyed a relatively uncomplicated consensus on their political, economic and ideological eminence, but also debates the nature of emerging 'radically incomplete' global interdependencies among nations.

Challenging the hegemony of dominant paradigms in conventional International Relations theories and blurring the traditional distinctions between South and North, the book seeks a new 'New Deal' to address issues of poverty, climate change and human security at the global level. Written in clear, lucid language, the book is a serious attempt to deepen newer ways of international cooperation as it re-imagines the future of cosmopolitan democracy and global civil society.

Ashwani Kumar is Associate Professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. He is also the author of ‘Community Warriors: State, Peasants and Caste Armies in Bihar’ (Anthem Press 2008).

Dirk Messner is Director of the German Development Institute (DIE) in Bonn and Professor of Political Science at the University Duisburg-Essen. He is also a member of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU).

Foreword; Introduction; Four Lessons from the Present Global Financial Crisis for the 21st Century; Global Civil Society; Institutional and Policy Implications of International Public Goods; Economic Challenges for Global Governance; The Rule of Law in Multilateral Institutions and International Aid for Development; Global Power Shifts and South Africa's Southern Agenda; Mexico as an Emerging Power in the Present World Scenario; Trilateral Relations among Africa, China and Europe; South America and US Relations; The Future Developments in Global Governance; Managing Social Issues for Sustainable Development; Unity in Diversity; In the Foggy Middle East; Evaluation Capacity Development in the Arab Region; UNEP Institutional Reform with its Impact on Developing Countries; The Heiligendamm Process and Emerging Powers; Notes