It is now conventional wisdom to see the great policy challenges of the 21st century as inherently transnational. It is equally common to note the failures of the international institutions the world relies on to address such challenges. As the acclaimed 2013 book Gridlock argued, the world increasingly needs effective international cooperation, but multilateralism appears unable to deliver it in the face of deepening interdependence, rising multipolarity, and the growing complexity and fragmentation that characterise the global order.The Gridlock authors have now partnered with a group of leading experts to offer a trenchant reassessment of elements of the argument. Comparing anomalies and exceptions to multilateral dysfunction across a number of spheres of world politics, Beyond Gridlock explores seven pathways through and beyond gridlock. While multilateralism continues to fall short, Beyond Gridlock identifies systematic means to avoid or resist these forces and turn them into collective solutions. This book offers a vital new perspective on world politics as well as a practical guide for positive change in global policy.

Table of contentsPrefaceAbbreviationsTables and FiguresAuthor biographies1 Introduction: Pathways beyond GridlockThomas Hale and David Held2 Finance: Risk and ProgressKevin Young3 Monetary Policy: Making Fragmentation WorkCamila Villard Duran4 Trade: Gridlock and ResilienceAndreas Klasen5 Investment: Contestation and TransformationTaylor St John6 Energy: A Fundamental Transition?Ann Florini7 Humanitarianism: Stagnation, Fragmentation, and PossibilitiesKyle McNally and James Orbinski8 Human rights: Leveraging ComplianceTom Pegram9 Health: New Leadership for Devastating ChallengesGarrett Wallace Brown and David Held10 Climate: From Gridlock to CatalystThomas Hale11 Cyber security: Gridlock and InnovationLucas Kello12 Weapons of Mass Destruction: Incremental StepsMichael Clarke13 Conclusion: Breaking the Cycle of GridlockThomas Hale and David Held