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Transnational private governance between the logics of empowerment and control

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  • Graeme Auld
  • Stefan Renckens
  • Benjamin Cashore

Abstract

Transnational private governance initiatives that address problems of social and environmental concern now pervade many sectors. In tackling distinct substantive problems, these programs have, however, prioritized different problem‐oriented logics in their institutionalized rules and procedures. One is a “logic of control” that focuses on ameliorating environmental and social externalities by establishing strict and enforceable rules; another is a “logic of empowerment” that concentrates on remedying the exclusion of marginalized actors in the global economy. Examining certification programs in the areas of fair trade, organic agriculture, fisheries, and forest management, we assess the evolutionary effects of programs prioritizing one logic and then having to accommodate the other. The challenges programs face when balancing between the two logics, we argue, elucidate specific distributional consequences for wealth, power, and regulatory capabilities that private governance programs seek to overcome.

Suggested Citation

  • Graeme Auld & Stefan Renckens & Benjamin Cashore, 2015. "Transnational private governance between the logics of empowerment and control," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(2), pages 108-124, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:reggov:v:9:y:2015:i:2:p:108-124
    DOI: 10.1111/rego.12075
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Gallemore, Caleb & Jespersen, Kristjan & Olmsted, Paige, 2022. "Harnessing relational values for global value chain sustainability: Reframing the roundtable on sustainable palm oil's offset mechanism to support smallholders," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    3. Ghori, Shakil & Lund-Thomsen, Peter & Gallemore, Caleb & Singh, Sukhpal & Riisgaard, Lone, 2022. "Compliance and cooperation in global value chains: The effects of the better cotton initiative in Pakistan and India," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    4. Sarah Margaretha Jastram & Alkis Henri Otto & Tatjana Minulla, 2023. "Diverse Organizational Adoption of Institutions in the Field of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(4), pages 1073-1088, April.

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