GSN Framework Document

Mission

The Globalization Studies Network (GSN) endeavours to make distinctive contributions to excellence in globalization studies. It promotes innovative research and teaching collaborations involving different world regions, cultures and disciplines. It brings the results of its efforts to the public domain, engaging policy circles and wider society to work towards greater economic prosperity, human security, social justice and democracy in globalization.

The GSN is formed on an inclusive basis, encompassing diverse regions, disciplines, cultures, perspectives, and substantive concerns. The GSN does not advocate any particular intellectual or political approach, but rather fosters dialogue and debate—involving South, North, East and West—about the nature, direction and possible redirection of globalization.

In terms of substantive concerns, the GSN addresses imaginings, dynamics, impacts, governance and sustainability of globalization. It especially facilitates research that is multidisciplinary (across social and natural fields of enquiry), multilayered (global, regional, national, local), intercultural and comparative.

Activities

In pursuit of the above aims, the GSN promotes four general types of activities.

First, the GSN fosters innovative research through collaborations among its affiliates, across different regions, cultures and disciplines. To this end GSN members cooperate in projects, conferences, workshops and institutional exchanges.

Second, the GSN provides channels to bring the results of globalization studies from across the world to policy circles, civil society activists and the general public. To this end the GSN involves practitioners in its projects and academic meetings. Policy professionals and laypersons are also offered access to GSN compendia of information on globalization studies.

Third, the GSN pursues capacity development for globalization studies through joint projects, pooling of resources, and sharing of experiences among research centres across the world. More specifically, GSN members share educational materials for curriculum development and learn from each other's experiences in areas such as research design, administrative operations, funding strategies, modes of dissemination, and public communications.

Fourth, the GSN serves as a clearinghouse of information regarding research and teaching on globalization in all parts of the world, in particular spreading awareness of less known work. To this end the GSN maintains inventories of research projects, research outputs, teaching programmes and other activities of its members.

Participants

The GSN is open to three categories of participants. 'Members' are research centres and programmes engaged in the study of globalization, including university units, think tanks, and other scholarly bodies. 'Associates' are non-academic organizations interested in the results of scholarly globalization studies, including civil society groups, official agencies, funders and businesses. 'Supporters' are individual globalization researchers who are not attached to an institute that focuses on the study of globalization.

In order to encourage greater participation in the GSN from the East and the South, membership is open to institutes from these parts of the world that have prospective rather than fully launched programmes in globalization studies. GSN members in the North are expected to have an established focus on globalization issues.

Governance

General GSN policy directions are determined by an Annual Meeting of the Members. The Annual Meeting is normally convened at the annual conference of the network. 'Members' (as defined above) have rights to vote in the Annual Meeting, whereas 'Associates' and 'Supporters' do not.

The Annual Meeting elects a Steering Committee to guide the GSN between conferences. The Steering Committee elects a Convenor from among its ranks. The Convenor chairs the Annual Meeting and reports to it on the past year's activities of the Steering Committee. Between Annual Meetings open and continuous communication is maintained between Members and the Steering Committee via the GSN listserv [gsnsteering@hermes.gwu.edu] and webpage [http://gsnetwork.igloogroups.org].

Individuals on the Steering Committee serve in their personal capacity rather than as representatives of institutes and programmes. They are elected to two-year terms with the possibility of one consecutive renewal. Elections are staggered, so that half of the Steering Committee seats are open for election at each annual meeting. In elections each GSN Member has one vote.

The GSN Steering Committee is regionally representative, with two seats for each of Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America/Caribbean, and North America, and one seat each for Australasia/Pacific and the Middle East. Regional delegates are elected by their respective regional constituencies. In addition, the Steering Committee may, in consultation with the Annual Meeting, coopt up to four additional individuals.

The GSN does not have a permanent secretariat. Rather, designated individuals, as agreed by the Annual Meeting, fulfill roles such as manager of the network website; administrator of the database of network participants; and organizer of the annual conference.