The Third UN is the ecology of supportive non-state actors-intellectuals, scholars, consultants, think tanks, NGOs, the for-profit private sector, and the media-that interacts with the intergovernmental machinery of the First UN (member states) and the Second UN (staff members of international secretariats) to formulate and refine ideas and decision-making at key junctures in policy processes. Some advocate for particular ideas, others help analyze or operationalize their testing and implementation; many thus help the UN 'think'. While think tanks, knowledge brokers, and epistemic communities are phenomena that have entered both the academic and policy lexicons, their intellectual role remains marginal to analyses of such intergovernmental organizations as the United Nations.

The "Third" United Nations: How a Knowledge Ecology Helps the UN Think

Weiss, Thomas G.

Carayannis, Tatiana

Foreign & International Law

Oxford University Press

The Third UN is the ecology of supportive non-state actors-intellectuals, scholars, consultants, think tanks, NGOs, the for-profit private sector, and the media-that interacts with the intergovernmental machinery of the First UN (member states) and the Second UN (staff members of international secretariats) to formulate and refine ideas and decision-making at key junctures in policy processes. Some advocate for particular ideas, others help analyze or operationalize their testing and implementation; many thus help the UN 'think'. While think tanks, knowledge brokers, and epistemic communities are phenomena that have entered both the academic and policy lexicons, their intellectual role remains marginal to analyses of such intergovernmental organizations as the United Nations.

The 'Third' United Nations: How a Knowledge Ecology Helps the UN Think

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

In the 21st century, the world is faced with threats of global scale thatcannot be confronted without collective action. Although global government as suchdoes not exist, formal and informal institutions, practices, and initiatives --together forming ""global governance"" -- bring a greater measure of predictability, stability, and order to trans-border issues than might be expected. Yet, there aresignificant gaps between many current global problems and available solutions.Thomas G. Weiss and Ramesh Thakur analyze the UN's role in addressing suchknowledge, normative, policy, institutional, and compliance lapses. The UN'srelationship to these five global governance gaps is explored through case studiesof some of the most burning problems of our age, including terrorism, nuclearproliferation, humanitarian crises, development aid, climate change, human rights, and HIV/AIDS.

Global Governance and the Un: An Unfinished Journey

Indiana University Press

Ahead of the Curve?: UN Ideas and Global Challenges

Ideas and concepts are arguably the most important legacy of the United Nations. Ahead of the Curve? analyzes the evolution of key ideas and concepts about international economic and social development born or nurtured, refined or applied under UN auspices since 1945. The authors evaluate the policy ideas coming from UN organizations and scholars in relation to such critical issues as decolonization, sustainable development, structural adjustment, basic needs, human rights, women, world employment, the transition of the Eastern bloc, the role of nongovernmental organizations, and global governance. 
The authors find that, in many instances, UN ideas about how to tackle problems of global import were sound and far-sighted, although they often fell on the deaf ears of powerful member states until it was apparent that a different approach was needed. The authors also identify important areas where the UN has not stood constructively at the fore.

History

Jolly, Richard

Emmerij, Louis

World

Ideas and concepts have been a driving force in human progress, and they may be the most important legacy of the United Nations. UN ideas have set past, present, and future international agendas in many global economic and social arenas and have also led to initiatives and actions that have improved the quality of human life. This capstone volume draws upon findings of the other 14 books in the acclaimed United Nations Intellectual History Project Series. The authors not only assess the development and implementation of UN ideas regarding sustainable economic development and human security, but also apply lessons learned to suggest ways in which the United Nations can play a fuller role in confronting the challenges of human survival with dignity in the 21st century.

UN Ideas That Changed the World (United Nations Intellectual History Project Series)

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

Global Governance and the UN: An Unfinished Journey (United Nations Intellectual History Project Series)

In the 21st century, the world is faced with threats of global scale that cannot be confronted without collective action. Although global government as such does not exist, formal and informal institutions, practices, and initiatives―together forming "global governance"―bring a greater measure of predictability, stability, and order to trans-border issues than might be expected. Yet, there are significant gaps between many current global problems and available solutions. Thomas G. Weiss and Ramesh Thakur analyze the UN's role in addressing such knowledge, normative, policy, institutional, and compliance lapses. The UN's relationship to these five global governance gaps is explored through case studies of some of the most burning problems of our age, including terrorism, nuclear proliferation, humanitarian crises, development aid, climate change, human rights, and HIV/AIDS.

Science & Math

Thakur, Ramesh

Environment

Ideas and concepts are arguably the most important legacy of the United Nations. Ahead of the Curve? analyzes the evolution of key ideas and concepts about international economic and social development born or nurtured, refined or applied under UN auspices since 1945. The authors evaluate the policy ideas coming from UN organizations and scholars in relation to such critical issues as decolonization, sustainable development, structural adjustment, basic needs, human rights, women, world employment, the transition of the Eastern bloc, the role of nongovernmental organizations, and global governance. The authors find that, in many instances, UN ideas about how to tackle problems of global import were sound and far-sighted, although they often fell on the deaf ears of powerful member states until it was apparent that a different approach was needed. The authors also identify important areas where the UN has not stood constructively at the fore.

"The authors have cajoled, intrigued, or reassured their 73 ‘voices’ into telling a fascinating story of the UN and its institutions, which is also a story of 73 individual lives, of women and men... with their own complicated histories of emigration and education, family relationships and professional choices, hopes and successes." —from the Foreword by Emma Rothschild"Far from being a distant bureaucracy, the UN is composed of individuals who are reshaped by vital experiences. UN Voices gives international civil servants human faces and shows how ideas drive the grand experiment. It is a fascinating book." —Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.UN Voices presents the human and moving stories of an extraordinary group of individuals who contributed to the economic and social record of the UN’s life and activities. Drawing from extensive interviews, the book presents in their own words the experiences of 73 individuals from around the globe who have spent much of their professional lives engaged in United Nations affairs. We hear from secretaries-general and presidents, ministers and professors, social workers and field workers, as well as diplomats and executive heads of UN agencies. Among those interviewed are noted figures such as Kofi Annan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Alister McIntyre, Conor Cruise O’Brien, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, and Kurt Waldheim, as well as many less well known UN professional men and women who have made significant contributions to the international struggle for a better world. Their personal accounts also engage their contributions in dealing with such events and issues as the UN’s founding, decolonization, the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, human rights, the environment, and September 11, 2001.

UN Voices: The Struggle for Development and Social Justice (United Nations Intellectual History Project Series)

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Thakur, Ramesh Chandra

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Weiss, Thomas G.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Weiss, Thomas G.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Weiss, Thomas G.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The "Third" United Nations: How a Knowledge Ecology Helps the UN Think

The 'Third' United Nations: How a Knowledge Ecology Helps the UN Think

Global Governance and the Un: An Unfinished Journey

Ahead of the Curve?: UN Ideas and Global Challenges

UN Ideas That Changed the World (United Nations Intellectual History Project Series)

Global Governance and the UN: An Unfinished Journey (United Nations Intellectual History Project Series)

Ahead of the Curve?: UN Ideas and Global Challenges

UN Voices: The Struggle for Development and Social Justice (United Nations Intellectual History Project Series)

UN Ideas That Changed the World (United Nations Intellectual History Project Series)

Global Governance and the UN: An Unfinished Journey (United Nations Intellectual History Project Series)