Interstate exchanges between heads of government, diplomatic services and armed forces go back to the earliest days of modern national governments, of course. However, in contemporary history transstate networks have also developed across a much wider span of the government apparatus. For example, justice ministries and police from different states
now often collaborate to combat transborder criminal activities. Judges and human rights commissioners from different national jurisdictions meet to exchange experiences. Securities and insurance supervisors from multiple states consult in their oversight of (increasingly globalized) financial markets. Environmental regulators from various governments cooperate in respect of ecological problems that transcend state boundaries. Health officials from numerous states work together on transworld disease control, while immigration services from different states collaborate on asylum and refugee issues. Other transstate networks respectively link central bankers, labour officials, and parliamentarians.