Proceedings of the 2026 3rd International Conference on Applied Economics, Management Science and Social Development (AEMSS 2026)

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The Role and Practical Path of Small and Medium-Sized Countries in Global Governance: A Case Study of the Participation Practices of the Lancang-Mekong Countries

Authors
Zhicheng Duan1, *
1Lancang-Mekong International Vocational Institute, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming, China
*Corresponding author. Email: 23218020720104@ymu.edu.cn
Corresponding Author
Zhicheng Duan
Available Online 12 May 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-672-2_57How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Small and Medium-Sized Countries; Global Governance; Lancang-Mekong Cooperation; Regional Multilateralism; Strategic Autonomy
Abstract

In the traditional Western-dominated global governance system, small and medium-sized countries (SMEs) have long been positioned as “rule takers” and “beneficiaries of governance,” relegated to the periphery of the international system. With profound changes in the global governance landscape and the rise of regional multilateral cooperation, SMEs, represented by the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation countries, are achieving a systematic leap in their roles through sub-regional cooperation. This paper, based on the theoretical evolution of SME participation in global governance and using the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism as a core case study, demonstrates that SMEs are undergoing four major role transformations: from “rule takers” to “co-rule makers,” from “passive beneficiaries” to “providers of public goods,” from “dependents in great power games” to “strategic balancers,” and from “ideological followers” to “pioneers in the practice of a community with a shared future for mankind.” The study finds that SMEs can enhance their discourse power and strategic autonomy through regional cooperation, providing a replicable path for the democratization of global governance and opening a new paradigm for the participation of Global Southern countries in global governance.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2026 3rd International Conference on Applied Economics, Management Science and Social Development (AEMSS 2026)
Series
Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research
Publication Date
12 May 2026
ISBN
978-94-6239-672-2
ISSN
2352-5428
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-672-2_57How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Zhicheng Duan
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/12
TI  - The Role and Practical Path of Small and Medium-Sized Countries in Global Governance: A Case Study of the Participation Practices of the Lancang-Mekong Countries
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 3rd International Conference on Applied Economics, Management Science and Social Development (AEMSS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 594
EP  - 600
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-672-2_57
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-672-2_57
ID  - Duan2026
ER  -