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Whining is a central feature of the debate on how best to meet the challenges of globalization. Traditional political institutions.) we are told, are ever less capable of dealing with all the problems that lie ahead. The nation-state? Pass& International organizations? A story of failure rather than success. There are few newspaper or journal contributions that do not leave us with a certain sense of helplessness._ Is this a form of millennial depression?
By concentrating on these old and well-worn stories, we may be missing a quiet revolution. Equating political change with political institutions masks a simple truth: Individuals and groups, not bureaucracies or formal institutions, drive innovation and learning. Change is a bottom-up process, not a top-down steering committee.
The advent of global public policy networks is a case in point. These networks are loose alliances of government agencies, international organizations, corporations, and elements of civil society such as nongovernmental organizations, professional associations, or religious groups that join together to achieve what none can accomplish on its own. Surveys by the World Bank in 1999 identified some 50 different global public policy networks, ranging in focus from crime to fisheries and public health. From the World Commission on Dams to the Roll Back Malaria initiative, these mostly new groupings thrive in a borderless environment and capitalize on technological innova, tion-the very conditions that hamper policy makers in traditional institutions. Perhaps most important, global public policy networks give once ignored groups from civil society a greater voice, thus narrowing the participatory gap and "democratic deficit" for which international decision making is often criticized. Although their objectives and budgets are still relatively modest, their record of success holds the promise not only of untangling a knot of global problems, but of improving the principles and methods of global governance.
BUREAUCRATIc GROWING PAINS
Most global public policy networks have emerged over the last decade, experimenting with new ways to gather knowledge and disseminate information on specific issues. As public policy becomes increasingly influenced by global conditions, formal policy-making institutions-national legislatures, government agencies, and multilateral institutions, among others often lack the scope, speed, and contacts to acquire and use crucial information needed to formulate effective policy.
First, growing social and economic integration around the world has extended the...