From G7 to G8: Conclusion

From G7 To G8:
Evolution, Role and Documentation of a Unique Institution

Peter I. Hajnal

April 1998

Conclusion

The G7/G8 system, now twenty-four years old, is a remarkable international forum and institution which has evolved in response to and in anticipation of economic, political, and other global developments. It has increased its institutional breadth by establishing regular and ad hoc ministerial meetings in an ever-greater variety of portfolios as well as through working groups and expert groups. It has widened its scope by taking on more and more issues of global importance. Although many observers, with some justification, consider the G7/G8 unrepresentative, it has, by integrating Russia and by associating several other countries with some activities, started to become somewhat more representative or at any rate less unrepresentative. Those who lament the bureaucratization of the institution may take a modicum of consolation from recent efforts to return the summits to the early ideal (if not reality) of relative simplicity and informality, especially with the 1998 Birmingham Summit which its British host is organizing as a leaders-only summit.

Critics have characterized the G7/G8 as uneven in delivering on its commitments. Although this seems indeed so, it is nonetheless true that the G7/G8 has been able to secure a significant degree of compliance from its members on a number of issues. Moreover, the regular annual meetings afforded by the G7/G8 have allowed the leaders to get to know one another very well indeed and to understand one another's domestic political and economic constraints; this is not merely a political intangible but a practical aid to policy coordination.

Questions about the effectiveness of the G7/G8 in changing the behavior of non-member states and multilateral institutions are more problematic; so is the institution's ability to improve broader global conditions. Yet, the G7/G8 remains a crucial actor on the world scene, relevant beyond the borders of its member states. It faces great challenges and opportunities to improve its composition, methods and effectiveness.