Organizational Responses to Grand Challenges: Policies and Partnerships for Tackling Global Issues

Grand challenges, such as climate change, poverty, and global health crises, are complex societal issues that require innovative, collaborative, and systemic solutions across jurisdictional boundaries. These challenges demand collective action involving governments, businesses, and civil society, as highlighted in frameworks like the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Addressing them necessitates novel organizational approaches that mobilize resources, foster innovation, and integrate diverse stakeholder perspectives. This thesis examines how different organizational forms contribute to tackling grand challenges, focusing on a supranational policy, a global settlement, and a cross-sector partnership. The first chapter analyzes the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), highlighting its role as a supranational regulatory framework for tackling carbon emissions. In particular, the study examines the impact of EU ETS enforcement on local GDP, productivity, and employment, providing evidence of its influence on local european economies. The second chapter explores the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a global settlement inaugurated alongside the Kyoto Protocol and its role in shaping the evolution of the entire carbon o↵setting field. In particular, this chapter investigates how the CDM influenced the governance of the carbon o↵setting field, highlighting the interplay between governmental and voluntary regulatory frameworks in developing innovative solutions to compensate for carbon emissions. Lastly, the third chapter focuses on cross-sector partnerships in global health, examining the Global Fund’s e↵orts to combat HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. This chapter investigates how such partner- ships sustain momentum and achieve equitable health outcomes, demonstrating their role in addressing grand challenges. By examining these three initiatives, this thesis provides insights into the mechanisms and practices that enable effective responses to grand challenges, contributing to sustainable development through systemic and collaborative approaches.