Madison, April 1999

The Impact of Globalization on Governance

The first SOG Conference in Madison was notable for high quality papers on a fresh theme for SOG. It opened on Friday 23 April with papers on Theoretical Perspectives on Globalization:

"Globalization Revisited: Globalization Viewed with a Critical and Sympathetic Eye" by Harvey Feigenbaum (George Washington University).

"Globalization and the Boundaries of the State of Sovereignty" by Ed Cohen (Westminster College).

"Globalization in Theoretical Perspective" by Ali Farazmand (Atlantic Florida University). The discussant was Joseph Wong (Harvard University).

The second session addressed Globalization and Its Enemies:
"Between Polycentricity and Globalization: Governance and the Modern State in Europe" by Roland Axtmann (University of Aberdeen).

"Narratives of Globalization and Social Policy in Germany and the United States" by Thomas Banchoff (Georgetown University).

"Domestic Institutions and International Negotiations: The Theory of Two Level Games" by Thomas Hammond (Michigan State University).

In the first of two sessions on Policy Impacts three papers were presented:
"The Politics of Global Climate Change: Implementing a 'Law of the Atmosphere' in American States and Canadian Provinces" by Barry Rabe (University of Michigan).

"The Impact of Globalization on the Politics of Professional Education for Youth in France" by Nicole de Montricher (CNRS, Paris).

"The New Political Economy of Taxation: International Pressures and Domestic Policy Choices" by Sven Steinmo (University of Colorado, Boulder).

In the second session, four further cases of policy impacts were covered:
"External Vulnerability and Its Impact on Brazilian Domestic Politics" by José Augusto Guihon Albuquerque (University of Sao Paulo).

"NAFTA and Transitional and Domestic Governance in Labor Relations" by Robert Finbow (Dahousie University, Canada).

"Integrating International Actors and Domestic Policymaking: Minority Rights in Romania" by Kyle Hunt (University of Pittsburgh).

"Impacts of Swiss Foreign Policy: Internationalization, Globalization and Multilateralization" by Ulrich Klöti (University of Zurich).

The second day (Saturday, April 24) opened with a session on The European Union:
"A European Public Policy in the Globalization Process: The Case of the 1992 CAP Reform" by Eve Fouilleux (NRS, Rennes, France).

"The EU and Gender" by Mark Pollack (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

"Globalization and Social Protection: The Impact of Foreign and International Rules in the Ratcheting Up of U.S. Privacy Standards" by Greg Shaffer (University of Wisconsin Law School).

Policy Borrowing was the theme of the next session:
"Learning in Environmental Policy" by Jeff Smoller (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources).

"Ideas, Institutions, and Actors: Understanding Welfare Reform in the Netherlands" by Robert Cox (University of Oklahoma, and Norman Furniss, Indiana University).

"Tutors and Pupils: International Organizations, Central European Elites, and Western Models" by Wade Jacoby (University of California, Berkeley). The discussant was Bert Rockman (University of Pittsburgh).

The final session focussed on Changing Bureaucracies:
"Excuse Me, This Isn't New Zealand: Why the Search for Models in Developing and Transitional Societies is Widening" by Colin Campbell (Georgetown University).

"European Governance, National Government and Political Opinion Leaders: The Case of Belgium" by Guido Dierickx (University of Antwerp).

"The Impact of Globalization on the Developmental State: The Korean Case" by Yong-duck Jung (Seoul National University).

"Public Sector Reform in an Age of Globalisation: A Preliminary Analysis" by John Halligan (University of Canberra).

The discussant was Joel Aberbach (University of California, Los Angeles).

The Conference concluded with a SOG Executive Meeting and "Governance" Board meeting. The planning for conferences for the next years, including the first SOG meeting in Japan (Tokyo), India (Bangalore) and Canada (Quebec).

SOG records its appreciation to Graham Wilson (University of Wisconsin, Madison) for excellent hospitality and organization of the Conference.

John Halligan