By Jessica Reed
Think-tanks used to be a very rare breed in France, but for the last decade they have starting to appear in the political and academic landscape, slowly gainning public authority. Therefore this recent French initiative called "Institut pour un nouveau débat sur la gouvernance" (Institute for a new network on governance [link to english website]) is interesting - and all the more exciting since they have decided to make most of their content available online. Their website presents essays, literature reviews and interview reports which examine the main problematics associated with the notion of governance.
Pluralist in its approach, the Institute is inspired by many schools of thought to facilitate a debate between citizens, academics, journalists, ONGs and researchers. They are interested in the dynamics between local and globan initiatives, the reform of Institutions, the participation and access to power and the collective process of regulation.
The geopolitical reconstruction which followed the fall of the Berlin Wall, the level of complexity reached within societies, and the interdependency linked to globalisation have radically changed the way we “live together” in the world over the last 15 or so years. Faced with this new configuration and the multiplication of crises which it has generated, neither the United Nations system, nor the national administrations – tied to the age-old model of the “Nation-State” – know how to make the necessary changes. Whether political, administrative or civil society leaders, many actors in public life are now searching for new rules to govern politics. They are calling for a far-reaching reform of governance. The Institute for a new Reflection on Governance (IRG) intends to provide food for thought and an opportunity for in-depth exchange on governance, and to contribute to the strengthening and sharing of the schools of thought involved in these issues.
The Institute is part of the Charles Leopold Mayer Foundation, which is "devoted to supporting the emergence of a world civil society community".
