Governance of a Polycentric Global Order

This incisive book explores a new way to understand the global order through the concept of polycentrism. Subverting the traditional multipolar view, Bartłomiej E. Nowak argues that the world is shifting toward a more flexible, multi-layered system of multi-party cooperation.

Nowak critically analyses the idea that only a few of the biggest countries run the world, demonstrating that power is instead now shared among regional groups, specialised countries, and global networks. He takes management theories usually applied to small-scale resources and scales them up to explain how a polycentric system can manage global commons such as the climate or the internet. The book outlines how having multiple groups doing similar things in global governance can be a source of resilience, allowing others to patch the gap if one leader or system fails.

Bringing the microeconomic theory of polycentrism into the realm of international relations, this book is a crucial read for scholars of global governance, political science, and regulation and governance. It will also be a useful resource for international policymakers.