Private Transnational Governance and the Developing World: A Comparative Perspective
Journal
International Studies Quarterly
ISSN
0020-8833
ISSN-Digital
1468-2478
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2008-09-01
Author(s)
Abstract
While private authority beyond the state has become a popular theme of academic writing, the role of stakeholders in the Southern hemisphere as objects and subjects of private transnational governance has rarely been addressed in the literature. To fill this gap, this article examines three private transnational governance (PTG) schemes in the field of global sustainability politics and their relation to the South. The analysis shows that, contrary to common assumptions, PTG schemes exert a significant influence on Southern stakeholders. They shape the meaning of key normative concepts, induce discursive shifts that constrain the ways in which sustainability politics may or may not be framed, and establish new regulatory frameworks to which Southern actors need to respond. Yet, while Northern interests are well represented, the representation of Southern stakeholders remains low. It is particularly low in knowledge-centered elements of the governance schemes. In contrast, where issues are explicitly framed in political terms and where decision-making processes extend across multiple levels, the quality of Southern representation increases.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SEPS - Global Democratic Governance
Refereed
No
Publisher
Wiley
Publisher place
Malden, Mass.
Volume
52
Number
3
Start page
607
End page
634
Pages
28
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
238719