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Politics of private regulation: ISEAL and the shaping of transnational sustainability governance

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  • Allison Loconto
  • Eve Fouilleux

Abstract

Scholars describe the proliferation of sustainability standards by multi‐stakeholder initiatives as part of an organizational field for sustainability. The aim of this article is to gain a better understanding of the institutionalization process of this global organizational field by focusing on the case of the ISEAL Alliance (the global association for sustainability standards). We show how ISEAL puts specific strategies into place to both reinforce and expand the role and influence of sustainability standards. This institutional entrepreneurship consists primarily of two dimensions: institutionalizing macro‐standards based on a market‐driven and procedural vision of sustainability; and simultaneously legitimating both the tools and ISEAL through internal and external enrolments and entanglements. The characterization of ISEAL's activities in this way brings politics back into the analysis of sustainability standard‐related technical debates and extends our understanding of how the micro‐dynamics within organizational fields are interdependent upon macro‐dynamics outside organizational fields.

Suggested Citation

  • Allison Loconto & Eve Fouilleux, 2014. "Politics of private regulation: ISEAL and the shaping of transnational sustainability governance," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(2), pages 166-185, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:reggov:v:8:y:2014:i:2:p:166-185
    DOI: 10.1111/rego.12028
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Steven Bernstein, 2002. "Liberal Environmentalism and Global Environmental Governance," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 2(3), pages 1-16, August.
    2. Sigrid Quack, 2010. "Transnational communities and governance," Post-Print hal-01891975, HAL.
    3. Doris Fuchs & Agni Kalfagianni & Tetty Havinga, 2011. "Actors in private food governance: the legitimacy of retail standards and multistakeholder initiatives with civil society participation," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 28(3), pages 353-367, September.
    4. Tim Büthe & Walter Mattli, 2011. "The New Global Rulers: The Privatization of Regulation in the World Economy," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 9470.
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    Cited by:

    1. Natalie J. Langford & Luc Fransen, 2022. "Building Legitimacy in an Era of Polycentric Trade: The Case of Transnational Sustainability Governance," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(3), pages 155-166.
    2. Nadine Arnold, 2022. "Accountability in transnational governance: The partial organization of voluntary sustainability standards in long‐term account‐giving," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(2), pages 375-391, April.
    3. Fiona Kinniburgh & Henrik Selin & Noelle E. Selin & Miranda Schreurs, 2023. "When private governance impedes multilateralism: The case of international pesticide governance," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(2), pages 425-448, April.

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