Introduction

This chapter explores the context behind this book by reviewing the existing literature on the G20. It identifies a gap around our understanding of the perspectives of the nineteen countries and one intergovernmental organization that constitute the G20’s membership between 2008 and 2022. It then introduces the guiding questions that inform the subsequent chapters: what does each member of the G20 think of this mechanism of global governance, what are they trying to achieve, what strategies do they adopt, and how does the G20 impact on them? It highlights the sources used in the research and writing of this book, and also explains its structure.