Course 2025-2026 a.y.

The course will be structured as follows:

Module 1: Foundations: Typologies and Functions of International Actors in Global Governance

• Global governance: actors, processes, and decision-making systems
• Intergovernmental and supranational IOs: UN system, the European Union
• Global networks and multi-stakeholder partnerships
• International NGOs
• The evolving role of international actors in global governance: climate change, security and cybersecurity, poverty and inequality, humanitarian action and development, disaster response
• Interplay between coordination, competition, and coherence

Module 2: Governance, Strategy, and Reform in International Organizations

• Strategic management in multilateral and supranational contexts
• Financial resource mobilization and new forms of development finance
• Results-Based Management (RBM) and the role of performance metrics
• Organizational culture and leadership in IOs
• Accountability and transparency in global governance

Module 3: Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics to address Global Challenges

• Setting global norms and standards for AI
• AI for policy analysis and decision support in IOs
• Cybersecurity and digital sovereignty in IOs
• AI in humanitarian operations and crisis response
• AI and global health governance
• Future of work in IOs
• Data governance and ethical AI in global institutions

Module 4: Governance, Strategy, and Digital Policy in the European Union

• Institutional structure and governance of the EU
• Strategic planning and coordination across EU institutions
• HR systems and policy implementation in a supranational context
• The EU’s digital governance agenda (e.g., AI Act, data protection regulation)

At the end of the course student will be able to:

• Identify the key international actors involved in global governance and explain their functions, mandates, and modes of coordination across thematic areas such as climate, health, and security.

• Analyze the strategic and managerial practices of international organizations, including approaches to resource mobilization, accountability, and performance evaluation.

• Evaluate the implications of Artificial Intelligence and data analytics for global governance, policy implementation, and the operational effectiveness of international and supranational institutions.

• Describe the institutional architecture and digital policy frameworks of the European Union, and assess their relevance for strategic planning and regulatory innovation at the global level

• Use the fundamental concepts and the language of management to understand how international and supranational organizations, as well as transnational partnerships work;
• Assess how the institutional and political environment affects the overall sustainability of international and supranational organizations;
• Leverage on the understanding of the interdependence between public, private and non-profit actors to strengthen global development effectiveness.
• Apply foundational knowledge of AI and data analytics to interpret complex global governance challenges, support evidence-informed decision-making, and enhance the strategic capacity of international and supranational organizations

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Collaborative Works / Assignments
• Interaction/Gamification

The learning experience of this course includes, in addition to frontal lectures, case discussions, real examples and interactions with guest speakers from international organizations.

During the course, students will have the opportunity to apply conceptual frameworks and tools discussed in class to the concrete challenges of an international organization through a groupwork activity.

Attending students will be assessed as follows:

• Written exam(s) - Two written exams 1st partial (50%) and 2nd partial  (50%) or one general exam (100%). The exam is based on a mix of multiple-choice and open questions related to the contents discussed in class.
• Group project (optional) - the project enables students to add up to 2 points to the final mark resulting from the written exam(s).  Students will be requested to firmly commit to undertaking the group project by the deadline communicated in class by the instructors. 

General written exam (100% of the final grade) based on a mix of multiple choice and open questions related to the full reference list of readings, which aims to assess the student’s learning level of the theoretical models, the understanding of key concepts elaborated in the course readings, and the ability to summarise narrative interpretations from the course readings.  

• Class notes.
• Course slides uploaded on the Bboard platform.
• Selected readings made available on the Bboard platform.

• List of compulsory readings for not attending students made available on the Bboard platform