Unpacking the G20

With a novel focus on the individual members of the G20, this innovative book explores the perspectives and behaviours of those within the global summit, unpacking what they are seeking to achieve, how they go about doing this, and the domestic impact of the G20.

Providing insights from the summit, Hugo Dobson comprehensively analyses the G20’s development and practices from the perspectives of the nineteen member states and one inter-governmental organisation that have shaped it. Chapters examine members’ reactions to the upgrading of the G20 to a summit of leaders in 2008, its development thereafter into the premier forum for international economic cooperation, and the expansion of its agenda beyond macroeconomic issues to a range of global collective action problems. Looking at its future from a country-specific perspective, Dobson concludes that the G20 will continue to engage with stakeholders and evolve in terms of its membership, as seen in the decision at the 2023 Delhi summit to include the African Union, thereby providing a basis for future research on its members’ perspectives, positions and behaviours.



This multidisciplinary book will be an invigorating read for students of international relations and politics, global governance, sustainable development, climate change and energy transitions, and security and terrorism. Its exclusive insights will also be of use to policymakers and third sector organisations who are stakeholders in the G20 process.