2nd Edition

The G20 Evolution, Interrelationships, Documentation

By Peter I. Hajnal Copyright 2019

    This revised and updated edition presents detailed analysis of the history and current state of the G20, and the challenges it faces.

    The emergence of the G20 was the result of calls for full inclusion of major developing and other systemically important countries and to reflect new global economic and political realities. The growth of Chinese power, growing significance of other major developing countries and new concerns concerning anti-globalization and rising protectionism in the West have all resulted in important changes to the dynamics of the institution. The suspension of Russia’s membership in the G8 has also necessitated a change in G7/G20 dynamics and the G20’s processes, agenda priorities and role in global governance. Providing a historical overview and analysis of the evolving agenda, methods of performance evaluation, relationship with structured international organizations and other external actors, Hajnal’s text is an authoritative work of history, analysis and reference on the G20 and also G7/G8/G20 reform.

    This book is an essential source for researchers and students focusing on the G20, international organizations and global governance, and more generally for scholars in the fields of political science, economics, and finance.

    Introduction

    Chapter 1 - The Origins of the G20

    Chapter 2 - Members and Invitees, Summit Meetings, Agenda

    Chapter 3 - The Evolving G20 System-

    Chapter 4 - Relations with International Governmental Organizations

    Chapter 5 - Relations with the Business Sector

    Chapter 6 - Relations with Civil Society

    Chapter 7 - Reforming the ‘Gs’: Proposals and Achievements, Interactions, Challenges

    Chapter 8 - Monitoring and Evaluating G20 Performance

    Chapter 9 - G20 Documentation

    Chapter 10 - Other Sources of Information

    Conclusion

    Biography

    Peter I. Hajnal is a Fellow of Senior College; Research Associate, Munk School of Global Affairs; and Emeritus Librarian, all at the University of Toronto. He was Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto for 11 years, and was a librarian, specializing in international organization information, for over 30 years. He has been a member of the G7/G8/G20 Research Groups since 1988; he attended 14 G7/G8/G20 summits as media correspondent and was Library Advisor to the Research Groups for 24 years. He is also a member of the Academic Council on the United Nations System, the International Studies Association, the Union of International Associations and the American Library Association. He served as consultant at the United Nations, in post-Yugoslavia Macedonia, in the Civil G8 project in 2006 in Russia, and in the Graham Library, Trinity College, University of Toronto.

    "This second edition of Peter Hajnal’s book is timely and welcome, as the G20 enters its second decade in increasingly turbulent times. As always, his work is meticulous, authoritative, wise in its judgments and indispensable for all G20-watchers." - Sir Nicholas Bayne , KCMG, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

    "This book is the essential authoritative reference for all scholars, students and professionals seeking to understand the G20 and global governance as a whole now. All should have a copy close at hand. It describes in careful detail the key features and growth of the G20 as an international institution and points to its centrality and effectiveness in today’s complex, uncertain world." - John Kirton, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, Canada.

    "Peter Hainal's book is an encyclopedia of the evolving G20 system. It provides readers with a deep and comprehensive analysis of the G20's role in the system of global governance. The book is an essential reading for anyone seeking to understand informal summit institutions and look into their future." - Dr. Marina Larionova, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Moscow.

    "Peter Hajnal has written an account of the G20 that is informative, comprehensive, authoritative and up-to-date. He traces the origins of the G20, describes its workings and relationship to other inter- and non-governmental institutions, and offers an assessment of its significance, accomplishments and shortcomings." - Ramesh Thakur, The Australian National University.

    "Peter Hajnal is a rare scholar of the history of contemporary "club diplomacy". His work on the G20 is uniquely knowledgeable and invaluable for the study of informal cooperation between great powers." - Karoline Postel-Vinay, FNSP Research Professor, Sciences Po, France