World Government or Else? Workshop in Zurich


The world is encountering several global challenges: climate change, global injustice, and war

particularly stand out. Some think that there is only one adequate answer to these challenges:

to create a world state that governs the entire globe. Others think that creating a world state is

not a good idea for different reasons: it is unrealistic (given as the world it is now dominated

by territorial nation states); it is undesirable (it could lead to global tyranny and/or force upon

humanity a homogeneity that we don’t want); it is ineffective (there are other solutions to these

problems, such as stronger nation states, supra-national organizations, stronger regional

cooperation). This two-day workshop (June 13, 2017 – June 14, 2017) will examine the question

whether we need a world government (and in what form), both from theoretical and from

empirical angles.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The workshop will last for two days. The first day (June 13) will be

spent at the Collegium Helveticum, Zurich (Switzerland), the second day (June 14) in the

Zukunftskolleg, Konstanz (Germany). A shuttle bus service will be provided between Zurich

and Konstanz on the morning and evening of June 14.

Registration to attend is recommended. Please register with Attila Tanyi by emailing to

For further details, including a detailed programme when available, see


June 13: Collegium Helveticum, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich


June 14: Zukunftskolleg, University of Konstanz, Konstanz


1. Marco Cellini (with Daniele Archibugi), Luiss Guido Carli University

2. Eva Erman, Stockholm University

3. Henning Hahn, Universität Kassel

4. Raffaele Marchetti, Luiss Guido Carli University

5. András Miklós (with Attila Tanyi), University of Rochester

6. Alice Pinheiro Walla, Universität Bayreuth

7. Timothy Sinclair, University of Warwick

8. Torbjörn Tännsjö, Stockholm University

9. Joachim Wündisch, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf


Attila Tanyi, University of Liverpool & Collegium Helveticum