Beyond the State: Global Policy and Transnational Administration

Abstract

The conceptual distance between the sovereign state and the global domain of policy making and administration is narrowing, challenging the prevailing methodological nationalism. The rise of global policy and transnational administration necessitates new conversations for traditional, often domestically focused, public policy and public administration studies. By expanding our analytical, theoretical, conceptual, and even our pedagogical approaches to include the kaleidoscope of global governance actors, levels of analysis, sectors, and concepts, not only is our policy research enhanced and deepened, but our ability to engage this complexity is enhanced.

A prelude to policy transfer research

“…International organizations are often steering this process of "global governance", producing general and specific agendas to guide states and other agents in their actions. Global governance is associated with the capacity to address problems of "global concern" (Kakowitz) and often what is behind the production of global public policies (Moloney and Stone, 2019). As an example of a generic agenda we can mention the 2030 Agenda that addressed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), while on a more specific level we can think of the UN-Habitat New Urban Agenda (NUA).…”

“…This "problem" is outlined below but in essence, represents a methodological quandary in establishing the balance between international and domestic variables in the explanation of public policymaking. Third, this movement naturally connects international relations studies with public policy analysis, opening the door to sharing issues, concepts, and methods of research, as well as to the analysis of international and global public policies (Coleman, 2012;Petiteville and Smith, 2006;Stone and Moloney, 2019).…”

Filling in the Gaps: The Transnational Administration of the COVID‐19 Pandemic in Peru

“…Accordingly, Peru's national public administration against COVID‐19 has become tied up with what scholars have called transnational administration (Stone and Ladi, 2015; Moloney and Stone, 2019; Weible et al, 2020). Transnational administration can be defined as ‘the regulation, management and implementation of global policies of a public nature by both private and public actors operating beyond the boundaries and jurisdictions of the state, but often in areas beneath the global level (Stone and Ladi, 2015: 2).…”

Making Global Policy

“…Mainstream policy and public administration studies have also undertaken analysis of the capacity of public-sector hierarchies to globalise their national policies through cross-national learning and policy transfer (Hadjiisky et al, 2017). In tandem with the widening mandates and policy ambitions of international organisations over the past few decades, and the coalitions they form with governments or private-sector actorssuch as companies, philanthropic foundations and other elements of civil societya niche for Global Policy Studies has emerged (see Moloney and Stone, 2019).…”