Table Of ContentChallenges for International Organizations
in the 21st Century
Challenges for
International
Organizations in
the 21st Century
Essays in Honour of Klaus Hüfner
Edited by
Martina Metzger
Lecturer
Institute for Economic Policy
Free University Berlin
Berlin
Germany
and
Birgit Reichenstein
Lecturer
Institute for Economic Policy
Free University Berlin
Berlin
Germany
Palgrave
macmillan
* Selection and editorial matter © Martina Metzger and Birgit Reichenstein 2000
Chapter 3 © Birgit Reichenstein 2000
Chapter 5 © Martina Metzger 2000
Chapters 1, 2, 4, 6-9 © Macmillan PressL td 2000
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Contents
Preface vii
Notes on the Contributors XV
Curriculum Vitae ofK laus Hafner xix
Involvement and Detachment- Looking Back (and Forward) on
Klaus Hiifner's Peculiar Mix of Experiences, Dispositions and
Activities
Jens Naumann 1
I. Changing Economic Environment - Persistent
Questions on Development
Some Reflections on Trade Expansion as a Measure of
Globalization
H. W. Singer 31
With a Little Help from NTBs: Why Reducing Tariffs Does
not Lead to Free Trade
Birgit Reichenstein 47
Regional Integration Among Less Developed Economies:
Discordant Variations on an Evergreen
Waltraud Schelkle 65
25 Years After the Collapse of the Bretton Woods System:
Still not Having Found What We Were Looking for
Martina Metzger 89
Asia and the International Monetary Fund: Reflections on
the Present World Currency Crisis
Hajo Riese 109
Current Economic and Financial Policies and their Social
Consequences
Louis Emmerij 129
v
vi Contents
The Coffers are not Empty: Financing for Sustainable
Development and the Role of the United Nations
Jens Martens and James A. Paul 145
n. National Culture-International Links
New Concepts of the UN in Maintaining Peace: A Discourse
Analysis About a Producer of Texts
Ulrich Albrecht 177
Science and Global Governance: The Sto:ry of United
Nations University
Mihaly Simai 191
Global Culture versus Golden Cages: New Options for
Cultuial Policies
Traugott Scho.fthaler 227
Publications by Klaus Hfljner 243
Index 263
Preface
In the past two decades the world has been shaken by two far
reaching developments whose economic and political impli
cations are far from being clear-cut. Without a doubt, the col
lapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent abolition of the
East-West conflict is the most radical change in political
terms. The end of the Cold War era with the omnipresent
threat of armed confrontation between the two blocs resulted
in a vacuum of power which has itself now become an
obstacle to world peace. The sources of this new threat emer
ge from regional conflicts scattered all over the world and
involving many kinds of political systems, cultures, and
peoples. Faced with this new diversity of actors and political
goals, the old conflict resolution mechanisms, designed for
confrontations of a Cold War type, are no longer effective. To
elaborate new ways of conflict resolution, and most of all, of
conflict prevention is the task at hand for the coming decade
and probably for the next century.
On the economic side we are part of a development some
times referred to by the buzz-word 'globalization'. National
economies are becoming steadily more integrated as cross
border flows of trade, investment, and financial capital increa
se. With the chance of improved allocation of production
factors, the potential to boost productivity and living stan
dards everywhere is rising to levels proponents of this concept
never dared to dream of However, problems that arise in one
country are no longer confined to that country or region but
may have worldwide implications, as the impact of the East
Asian financial crises show. Higher levels of integration also
result in higher wlnerability for the economies involved.
Untouched by and aloof from these developments stand those
international economic institutions set up to support recon-
vii
viii Preface
struction in devastated countries after the Second World War.
Nowadays, however, these institutions are cracking and
crumbling under the constant drop in financial contributions
by their member states (with the notable exception of the
Bretton Woods twins) and increasing pressure for long over
due reforms. Some are even threatened with extinction. But
the legitimation crisis of international organizations has its
origin not only in their sluggishness in adjusting to a changed
international agenda, but has also been fuelled by the esta
blishment of shadow institutions and informal negotiation
rounds like the G3, G5, G7, G8 or the MAl negotiations in
Paris. Indeed, the whole process may best be described as a
'crisis of multlilateralism'.
International Organizations have always been of life-long
interest to Klaus Hufner as is shown by the long list of his
publications, the wide number of organizations and societies
of which he is a member and not least of all, the large number
of honors and awards he has accumulated. Klaus Hufner has
dedicated his academic work, and even a great deal of his pri
vate life, to the United Nations System. He undertook the long
and sometimes daunting way through institutions not because
he believed in the intrinsic value of these organizations in
themselves, but because he has always been convinced that
they are able - and indeed should - play an active and decisi
ve role in furthering the understanding and improvement of
international relations.
As an economist with an interest in politics his main focus
lies in the analysis of United Nations System financing and
organizational structures. With regard to the former, Klaus
Hufner has always been a vehement advocate of greater trans
parency in the financial process, including transparency about
the origins and amount of financial contributions as well as
their allocation and distribution. His interest in organizational
structures, however, was motivated by anxieties about whe-
Preface ix
ther the organizational structures of the United Nations were
adequate to cope with unresolved old problems whilst new
types of problem continually added to the burden. Indeed,
Klaus Hufner was already talking about reform and restructu
ring needs in a rapidly changing international order when the
term 'institution-building' had not yet entered international
agendas. His interest in the United Nations System has not
been limited only to the 'winners'; it also embraces the so
called 'underdogs'. In his thinking, the North-South conflict
and the poverty gap between industrialized and developing
countries stands as one of the major challenges of the modem
world. So it is not surprising that aspects of developing coun
tries form a large part of his work, especially in the field of
economics of education, and that his scholars were encoura
ged to extend their academic research to all facets of deve
lopment theory and policy. Klaus Hufner did not lecture and
research in an ivory tower; he was always keen to go outside
the university and never shied away from hard talking with
politicians as part of his job as advisor to governments and
non-governmental organizations. And he was always deligh
ted to travel which he did extensively as his scholars noted
with a touch of envy. With this Festschrift on the occasion of
his 60th birthday, we wish to reflect on numerous aspects of
his academic life and to honor both his professional and per
sonal commitment.
The authors of the present collection of articles are all in
volved in some kind of international research or politics, and
draw on their experiences with the rapid changing economic,
political, and cultural environment in their specific field of
work The book is devided into two parts: one deals with eco
nomic issues, while the other stresses on political and cultural
questions.
But at first a detailed overview of Klaus Hufner's academic
work and personal biography is given by Jens Naumann who
