John J. Kirton, PDr of International Relations, Director of the G8 Research Group, Associate Professor of Political Science, Research Associate of the Centre for International Studies and Fellow of Trinity College at the University of Toronto, Canada, E-mail: mailto:john.kirton@utoronto.ca

The article presents the translation of the paper “Why the World Needs G8 and G20 Summitry: the Prospects from 2010 and Beyond” prepared by John Kirton for the Center for Dialogue and Analysis on North America (CEDAN), Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM), Mexico City Campus, Mexico City in 11-12 March, 2010. The paper turns to the systematic, analytically grounded comparison of the G8 and G20 summits to answer two questions: Why does the world need the G8 and G20 summits? And what will be their relationship? It argues that the world needs both for the foreseeable future, because they do different jobs, because the G8 has proven it can do the job of both if need be, while the G20 has not yet shown it can do even its own job well. To develop this argument, the study first compares the two evolving institutions in their creation, mission, institutionalization, membership, participation, agenda, accountability, and durability, and finds that on most of these key institutional components, the G8 thus far has a superior claim. Second, it examines how well each institution has worked in accomplishing its core mission and in providing domestic political management, deliberation, direction setting, decision-making, delivery and the development of global governance. Third, it looks ahead to identify what the two institutions are likely to do at the G8 Muskoka Summit on June 25-26, the G20 Toronto Summit on June 26-27, and the G20 Seoul Summit on November 11-12. Fourth and finally, it looks at the prospective relationship between the two institutions, both now and beyond this year. The study concludes that they will work increasingly well with each other, for the greater global good.