On June 18-19 2012 Mexico is hosting the G20 summit in Los Cabos. The pressing challenge of solving the economic and financial crises will dominate the agenda. Another priority for the summit has also been announced, namely the question of how G20 can play a more significant role in development. In the spirit of the United Nations’ Eighth Millennium Development Goal, which is to develop a global partnership for development, G20 has indicated its willingness to engage in partnerships, including with non-member states and non-state actors.
G20 is composed of the world’s 20 largest economies and is emerging as the premier economic and political forum of key international actors. G20 has embarked on an intense effort to involve actors from the private sector and civil society in its policy-making process to make the organization more horizontal and accountable. For example, a group of 20 think tanks was established, referred to as Think20, to enrich the dialogue between developed and developing countries at G20 with academic input. Although it is a laudable idea to enrich G20’s decision making process with input from researchers, the initiative leaves much to be desired. The arbitrary selection of think tanks, their unequal roles, and the so far inconclusive results make Think20 a far cry from what it claims to be.
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