From G7 to G8: Foreward

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

Peter I. Hajnal

April 1998

Foreword

This study is based on the assumption that the G7/G8 is a central institution of the 1990s. Notwithstanding serious criticism of its institutional growth, proliferating agenda and lack of representativeness, the G7/G8 has achieved more than some critics would have us believe, and has been able to secure a significant degree of c9mpliance from its members on a number of issues. It has also served as an effective means of socializing the leaders and ministers of member states, enabling them to get well-acquainted with one another, to understand one another's domestic political and economic constraints, and providing them with a forum and venue for policy coordination. Questions remain, however, about the effectiveness of the G7/G8 in changing the behavior of non-member states and multilateral institutions, and in improving broader global conditions.

The purpose of this work¹ is to discuss the origins, characteristics, role and agenda of the G7/G8 system; to review its evolution; to survey the major debates and questions about the G7/G8 in the scholarly literature; and to provide a detailed study of the complex and elusive documentation of and about that institution. It is hoped that this effort, along with the accompanying bibliography, will add something of value to the scholarly literature and will serve as a useful work of reference for a academics, government officials, the media, libraries and the general public.