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THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO SUMMERIZE AND STIMULATE NEW IDEAS IN THE NEW FIELD OF GLOBAL POLICY STUDIES. THIS FIELD CAN BE DEFINED AS THE STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL INTERACTIONS DESIGNED TO DEAL WITH SHARED POLICY PROBLEMS. GLOBAL POLICY STUDIES IS RELATED TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT, AND PUBLIC POLICY STUDIES.

As a counterpoint to the other articles in this special issue, this final paper presents a skeptical view of the global policy perspective, especially as it has been presented in the writings of the guest editor. The author argues that the perspective is conceptually muddled and that such key terms as `global' and `policy' have yet to be given clear, precise, or analytically penetrating definitions. A case is made that the very idea of global (as opposed to international) policy seriously misrepresents the nature of contemporary international regulations. It concludes by suggesting that the policy perspective, even if the conceptual problems can be worked out, promises to provide little additional descriptive, analytic, or heuristic leverage for students of international relations.

This introductory article notes several parallels in the mission and historical evolution of the fields of contemporary policy studies and peace research, as well as some of the basic differences in the two fields. The field of policy studies, which analyzes the potential contributions of governmental action to collective well-being, encompasses a variety of approaches, including positivism, social engineering, incrementalism, and rationalism. A case is made for development of an international and global dimension of the field of policy studies in view of the increasing seriousness and complexity of transnational problems and the scope of international problem-solving activities. Much of peace research has, in effect, the basic characteristics of the differing approaches to policy studies. Global policy studies can make several contributions to peace research, including a comprehensive theoretical orientation for guiding initiatives for achieving desired outcomes, insights into the dynamics of international conflict resolution, a greater understanding of the potential role of international law and institutions in world politics, and a recognition of the wide range of global policies that have a bearing on peace. Peace research has much to offer global policy studies, but this is a subject to be elaborated elsewhere.

It is advantageous to combine international regime and global policy approaches to employment. Sources of the relative ineffectiveness of regional and global employment policy are found primarily in conflicting missions of intergovernmental organizations, ideological conflicts and the inadequate resources and powers of such organizations. Employment suffers from the existence of higher economic and human rights priorities in virtually all international policy arenas. Although evolutionary progress can be expected in the present regime structure, fundamental change will require truly global policies in a more highly developed regime that integrates economic and human rights principles and goals.