ABSTRACT. This article begins by providing a brief explanation of the notion of public good in terms of the birth of civil society. It adopts the method of summary figures (boxes) to summarize a series of related steps in the evolution of global public goods as a mature discourse. The paper uses these boxes to trace the development of the ‘historical markers’ in the formation of a discourse, leading to the emergence of Global Public Goods (GPGs) and an evaluation of the scope and nature of GPGs as an approach desirable for world institutions but also applicable and desirable for understanding Higher Education in an era facing multiple and overlapping crises. It discusses in turn Philosophy of the Public Sphere: The formation of public opinion and action (The Habermas debate), Public Welfare Economics, the Critique of Public Goods & Market Failure, Emergence of Global Public Goods Discourse, and Global Public Goods in Higher Education and/or Universities.

Keywords: public sphere; market failure; global public goods; higher education; apocalyptic era; open science

How to cite: Peters, M. A. (2023). “Global Public Goods and Higher Education in an Apocalyptic Era: The Promise of Open Science,” Geopolitics, History, and International Relations 15(1): 9–30. doi: 10.22381/GHIR15120231.

Received 11 January 2023 • Received in revised form 21 April 2023
Accepted 24 April 2023 • Available online 18 May 2023