Professor Melissa J. Durkee on the “Click-and-Commit” World Order and the Future of Global Governance

In a recently released essay, The Click-and-Commit World Order (26 Chi. J. Int’l L. 1, 2025), Professor Melissa J. Durkee examines how the internet is transforming the way global actors cooperate on pressing issues.

Her essay explores the rise of a new model of global governance: the “click-and-commit world order.” In this system, actors ranging from states to corporations, NGOs, cities, and individuals make voluntary, non-binding commitments through online pledging platforms. Unlike treaties forged through negotiation and enforcement, these pledges rely on public declarations, reputational incentives, and symbolic participation.

Durkee traces this development from early initiatives like the UN Global Compact and the Paris Climate Agreement to a proliferation of climate, space, and corporate responsibility pledging platforms. She highlights both the promise and the peril of this shift: pledges can mobilize pluralism, innovation, and rapid coordination, but they may also dilute pressure for binding law and mask inaction behind the appearance of commitment.

Her article poses an important question: in a world of fractured multilateralism, can voluntary pledges serve as a foundation for collective problem-solving—or are they a fragile substitute for enforceable global rules?

Read more at The Chicago Journal of International Law.