About

The Global Justice Network is driven by a moral concern about the serious and real problems that lie behind global injustice. We believe global injustice in its various forms – such as, avoidable human suffering, war, oppression, exploitation and poverty – is the most pressing moral and political problem the world faces today. As academics, we want to ask: What are people’s moral obligations to each other within and across borders? Does the international order and its institutions affect inequalities across the globe? How can we best contribute to remedying human deprivation and oppression?

In response, we have created a forum promoting exchange and accessible research in the broad field of global justice. We aim to promote exchange between academics, activists and policy makers working on the various issues related to achieving global justice. We believe that a successful approach to global injustice requires integrating normative, empirical, and communicative perspectives. If we wish to tackle the problem of global justice we need to look at its theory, practice, and rhetoric.

Normative research investigates the nature, scope and demandingness of our moral obligations beyond national borders, and to those who are not our fellow citizens.

Empirical research aims at gaining a better understanding of the political, economic and social dynamics that have given rise to so-called globalisation and their relation to the current facts of global injustice, as well as the political, economic and social dynamics that occur in particular situations of global injustice.

Communicative research aims to gain a better understanding of how good ideas for better practices can be effectively communicated to those with the power to make change in the direction of greater justice.

We believe that connecting these three perspectives on global politics is essential to making genuine progress in the field of global justice in theory and, crucially, also in practice. This is for four principal reasons:

Firstly, from a theoretical perspective, a rigorous normative approach to global politics cannot proceed in the absence of an equally rigorous study of the phenomena to which its prescriptions are meant to apply.

Secondly, and relatedly, normative theory aims to offer moral standards for assessing the justice and injustice of existing realities, but without a deep understanding of these very realities, we are incapable both of recognising injustice and of rectifying it effectively.

Thirdly, those working in the practice of global justice are guided, however tacitly, by normative ideals. We believe that exposing and discussing these ideals is of benefit to global justice practitioners in achieving their goals.

Fourthly, by themselves ideas are not enough to bring about global change. For change to happen, ideas must be implemented. This requires convincing both ordinary people and political leaders of the importance of rectifying global injustice, as well as using the best, most practicable, and ethical methods of doing so. Accordingly, The Global Justice Network aims at a more effective exchange with the public beyond academia.

To these ends, The Global Justice Network publishes an online journal, Global Justice: Theory Practice Rhetoric, holds regular workshops, and provides an accessible source of information for all those interested in issues of global justice to discuss and share their ideas.