Global governance is a key concept in academic and policy discussions. For many, global governance refers to the network of interstate agencies and the rules which order their relations and increasingly shape their domestic institutions. For others, global governance is a more pervasive system of diffuse, often private, authority stemming from globalization, which organizes and disciplines the affairs of communities and nations in the industrial and developing worlds. As a concept, global governance is hotly contested. These volumes illustrate the debates between divergent interpretations, document its emergence and rise to prominence and provide examples of applications.