IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/anname/v670y2017i1p14-35.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Theorizing Regulatory Intermediaries

Author

Listed:
  • Kenneth W. Abbott
  • David Levi-faur
  • Duncan Snidal

Abstract

Regulation is typically conceived as a two-party relationship between a rule-maker or regulator (R) and a rule-taker or target (T). We set out an agenda for the study of regulation as a three- (or more) party relationship, with intermediaries (I) at the center of the analysis. Intermediaries play major and varied roles in regulation, from providing expertise and feedback to facilitating implementation, from monitoring the behavior of regulatory targets to building communities of assurance and trust. After developing the basic regulator-intermediary-target (RIT) model, we discuss important extensions and variations of the model. We then discuss the varieties of regulatory capture that may appear where intermediaries are involved.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenneth W. Abbott & David Levi-faur & Duncan Snidal, 2017. "Theorizing Regulatory Intermediaries," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 670(1), pages 14-35, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:670:y:2017:i:1:p:14-35
    DOI: 10.1177/0002716216688272
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0002716216688272
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0002716216688272?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Starobin Shana & Weinthal Erika, 2010. "The Search for Credible Information in Social and Environmental Global Governance: The Kosher Label," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 12(3), pages 1-37, October.
    2. Axel Marx & Jan Wouters, 2017. "Rule Intermediaries in Global Labor Governance," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 670(1), pages 189-206, March.
    3. George J. Stigler, 1971. "The Theory of Economic Regulation," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 2(1), pages 3-21, Spring.
    4. Hood, Christopher & Rothstein, Henry & Baldwin, Robert, 2004. "The Government of Risk: Understanding Risk Regulation Regimes," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199270019.
    5. Abbott, Kenneth W. & Snidal, Duncan, 2000. "Hard and Soft Law in International Governance," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 54(3), pages 421-456, July.
    6. Jean-Pierre Galland, 2017. "Big Third-Party Certifiers and the Construction of Transnational Regulation," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 670(1), pages 263-279, March.
    7. Graeme Auld & Stefan Renckens, 2017. "Rule-Making Feedbacks through Intermediation and Evaluation in Transnational Private Governance," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 670(1), pages 93-111, March.
    8. Büthe Tim, 2010. "Private Regulation in the Global Economy: Guest Editor's Note," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 12(3), pages 1-2, October.
    9. Kraakman, Reiner H, 1986. "Gatekeepers: The Anatomy of a Third-Party Enforcement Strategy," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 2(1), pages 53-104, Spring.
    10. Koenig-Archibugi, Mathias & Macdonald, Kate, 2017. "The role of beneficiaries in transnational regulatory processes," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 68757, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Büthe Tim, 2010. "Private Regulation in the Global Economy: A (P)Review," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 12(3), pages 1-40, October.
    12. Starobin, Shana & Weinthal, Erika, 2010. "The Search for Credible Information in Social and Environmental Global Governance: The Kosher Label," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(3), pages 1-35, October.
    13. Hall, Peter A. & Taylor, Rosemary C. R., 1996. "Political science and the three new institutionalisms," MPIfG Discussion Paper 96/6, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    14. Kenneth Abbott & Duncan Snidal, 2010. "International regulation without international government: Improving IO performance through orchestration," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 315-344, September.
    15. Khalid Nadvi, 2008. "Global standards, global governance and the organization of global value chains," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 323-343, May.
    16. David Levi-Faur, 2005. "The Global Diffusion of Regulatory Capitalism," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 598(1), pages 12-32, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kenneth W. Abbott & Philipp Genschel & Duncan Snidal & Bernhard Zangl, 2021. "Beyond opportunism: Intermediary loyalty in regulation and governance," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(S1), pages 83-101, November.
    2. Andreas Rasche & Wencke Gwozdz & Mathias Lund Larsen & Jeremy Moon, 2022. "Which firms leave multi‐stakeholder initiatives? An analysis of delistings from the United Nations Global Compact," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(1), pages 309-326, January.
    3. Fabiana Di Porto & Marialuisa Zuppetta, 2021. "Co-regulating algorithmic disclosure for digital platforms [Theorizing regulatory intermediaries]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 40(2), pages 272-293.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tetty Havinga & Paul Verbruggen, 2017. "Understanding Complex Governance Relationships in Food Safety Regulation," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 670(1), pages 58-77, March.
    2. Anne van Aaken & Janis Antonovics & Anne Aaken, 2016. "Is International Law Conducive To Preventing Looming Disasters?," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 7, pages 81-96, May.
    3. Starobin, Shana M., 2021. "Credibility beyond compliance: Uncertified smallholders in sustainable food systems," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    4. Cary Coglianese & Shana M. Starobin, 2020. "Social Science and the Analysis of Environmental Policy," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(5), pages 578-604, September.
    5. Janina Grabs & Graeme Auld & Benjamin Cashore, 2021. "Private regulation, public policy, and the perils of adverse ontological selection," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(4), pages 1183-1208, October.
    6. van der Ven, Hamish & Sun, Yixian & Cashore, Benjamin, 2021. "Sustainable commodity governance and the global south," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    7. Allison Marie Loconto, 2017. "Models of Assurance," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 670(1), pages 112-132, March.
    8. Joel Bothello & Afshin Mehrpouya, 2019. "Between regulatory field structuring and organizational roles: Intermediation in the field of sustainable urban development," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(2), pages 177-196, June.
    9. Afshin Mehrpouya & Rita Samiolo, 2019. "Numbers in regulatory intermediation: Exploring the role of performance measurement between legitimacy and compliance," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(2), pages 220-239, June.
    10. Khalid Nadvi & Gale Raj‐Reichert, 2015. "Governing health and safety at lower tiers of the computer industry global value chain," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(3), pages 243-258, September.
    11. Mattia Ubaldo & Steven McGuire & Vikrant Shirodkar, 2022. "Voluntary programs and emissions revisited: What is the effect of EU trade agreements with environmental provisions?," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(4), pages 467-489, December.
    12. Paul Verbruggen, 2013. "Gorillas in the closet? Public and private actors in the enforcement of transnational private regulation," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 7(4), pages 512-532, December.
    13. Burkard Eberlein & Kenneth W. Abbott & Julia Black & Errol Meidinger & Stepan Wood, 2014. "Transnational business governance interactions: Conceptualization and framework for analysis," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(1), pages 1-21, March.
    14. Jens Heidingsfelder & Markus Beckmann, 2020. "A governance puzzle to be solved? A systematic literature review of fragmented sustainability governance," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 70(3), pages 355-390, August.
    15. Luc Fransen & Brian Burgoon & Luc Fransen & Brian Burgoon, 2017. "Introduction to the Special Issue: Public and Private Labor Standards Policy in the Global Economy," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 8(s3), pages 5-14, May.
    16. Baddeley, Shane & Cheng, Peter & Wolfe, Robert, 2011. "Trade Policy Implications of Carbon Labels on Food," Commissioned Papers 122740, Canadian Agricultural Trade Policy Research Network.
    17. Agata Gurzawska & Markus Mäkinen & Philip Brey, 2017. "Implementation of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) Practices in Industry: Providing the Right Incentives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-26, September.
    18. Graeme Auld & Stefan Renckens, 2017. "Rule-Making Feedbacks through Intermediation and Evaluation in Transnational Private Governance," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 670(1), pages 93-111, March.
    19. Ormazabal, Gaizka, 2018. "The Role of Stakeholders in Corporate Governance: A View from Accounting Research," CEPR Discussion Papers 12775, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    20. Lucio Baccaro & Valentina Mele, 2012. "Pathology of Path Dependency? The ILO and the Challenge of New Governance," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 65(2), pages 195-224, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:670:y:2017:i:1:p:14-35. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.