Rachel Lin Straits Times 25 Sep 10;
GLOBAL problems such as climate change and economic crises require global solutions, but what can be done if international institutions are not up to scratch?
Chief adviser to the China Banking Regulatory Commission Andrew Sheng and Oxford University economics professor Paul Collier offered a controversial answer to that question: An empowered civil society could step up to the plate.
Their suggestion sparked a lively debate during a panel discussion on global governance, the third in yesterday's session of the Singapore Global Dialogue.
Both Mr Sheng and Prof Collier contrasted the ineffectiveness of international institutions with the robustness of a citizenry that is increasingly well-informed and well-connected through technology.
Mr Sheng felt that existing multilateral organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund, were inflexible and had proved incapable of dealing effectively with the global financial crisis.
'I have actually increasingly lost faith, since this crisis, in traditional forms of government dealing with major complex issues today,' Mr Sheng said. 'I am a great believer that civil society needs to deal with all these problems.'
The Internet has allowed an ever-growing number of individuals to connect with one another, making concerted action on global issues possible, he said.
Prof Collier agreed, noting that the Internet has given citizens the means by which to access and disseminate accurate information.
He raised the example of fish stocks, which have come under threat worldwide. The Internet has made it possible for ordinary people to educate themselves about the issue and prod their governments into action.
Prof Collier cited a project he is involved in, the Natural Resource Charter, as another example of an international citizen-led movement. This non-governmental initiative sets out guiding principles for the use of natural resources.
'Forget government cooperation - we're in a new world,' said Prof Collier. 'The empowered knowledge across citizens can then discipline governments to pursue the global interest.'
Their ideas were immediately questioned by Dr Harry Harding, who is dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, and senior diplomat Tommy Koh.
Dr Harding expressed scepticism that the Internet would necessarily throw up accurate information, while Prof Koh argued that civil society activism was not enough and that states would need to get involved as well.
In response, Prof Collier emphasised the role of academics in providing good information. Mr Sheng said government should work in tandem with civil society: 'It has to use their taiji, their silat, use their energy for the public good.'
ACTING FOR PUBLIC GOOD
'Adam Smith used to say, 'private greed is compensated for by state or public good'. Unfortunately, if private greed captures public good, we are in for a real disaster. So the only alternative, as I see it, is private action for public good.'
Mr Andrew Sheng, chief adviser to the China Banking Regulatory Commission, on how civil society can succeed where international organisations fail
MISMANAGING NATURAL ASSETS
'The management, or mismanagement, of natural assets, I think, will be the defining challenge of the 21st century. What we are seeing, with our present behaviour, is a race to the bottom, and that race to the bottom takes the form of the plunder of nature.'
Professor Paul Collier of the University of Oxford's economics department, and the director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at the University of Oxford, on how countries have turned natural assets into natural liabilities
NATIONAL INTERESTS COME FIRST
'The permanent members of the Security Council are on the council to look after their national interests. They will occasionally do the right thing by the world, but their primary responsibility is to look after their own countries' interests... The reality is that we live in a selfish world.'
Professor Tommy Koh, chairman of the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore, and Ambassador at Large, on the limitations that will face any reform of the Security Council
