The second Managing Global Governance (MGG) Public Lecture this year featured Helmut Reisen, Head of Research at the OECD Development Centre in Paris and Professor of International Economics at the University of Basel. An award-winning writer and columnist, he has published extensively on the rise of new powers, global imbalances, development finance and other global governance issues.

In his lecture, Reisen discussed the effects of recent economic and political power shifts towards emerging economies such as China, India, South Africa or Brazil. A considerable increase in aid and trade flows between countries of the global South has been part of this transformation, creating both opportunities and challenges for international cooperation.

In what ways has the steady climb of new global players changed the economic and political world order? How can low-income countries benefit from it? Are there opportunities for better coordination between ‘old’ (OECD) donors and ‘new’ donors from the global South in the area of development cooperation? These are some of the issues that we discussed with Reisen and the audience.

Astrid Skala-Kuhmann, Director of the ‘Global Partnerships and Emerging Economies’ unit at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), was discussant for this session. Tatjana ReiberReiber, Tatjana, Senior Researcher in the Training Department of German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), chaired it.

The event is part of the MGG Public Lecture series featuring eminent scholars as well as high-ranking officials from MGG partner institutions. The MGG programme, which goes on to the 10th round in 2012, engages highly qualified young professionals from eight emerging economies (Egypt, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan and South Africa) in a global governance dialogue. The programme starts off with a two-month academic module, the Global Governance School (GGS). Subsequently, participants move on to research-based practice projects at German or European host organisations.

MGG is jointly implemented by DIE and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ).


Selected publications by Reisen:

• Emerging partners create policy space for Africa (2011, with Jean-Philippe Stijns)
• The Rise of China and India - What's in it for Africa? (2006)