Karsten Ronit

Global Governance through Private Organizations

Governance at international and global levels is not only provided through states and markets but also through a variety of private organizations. The business world is well represented through this kind of organization and contributes to global governance through self-regulation across a number of industries. This article examines these efforts in the encompassing organization of global commerce, in the pharmaceutical industry and among dye stuffs producers. Smaller organizations are generally better suited to monitor compliance and impose sanctions on members violating the codes and norms behind self-regulation. Even small organizations, however, are confronted with problems and there is also evidence of large and very complex organizations having established effective mechanisms as alternatives to public regulation. These experiences can be built into theories on self-regulation as a form of global governance.

Interest groups in the European community: Newly emerging dynamics and forms

Case studies of EC/interest group relationships can reveal a range of organisational formats and reciprocal influences. Yet in recent literature, there has been a tendency to characterise such relationships as a whole, often involving application of the ‘pluralist’ label. Neither neo‐pluralism nor neo‐corporatism are however system‐level theories, and both by nature defy the drawing of generalisations beyond domains to which these images can be applied. Application of the ‘pluralist’ label appears to originate from a prevailing view of Euro‐interest associations as weak ‘federations of national federations’, often unable to agree and act upon meaningful common positions. Evidence from the pharmaceutical industry suggests that such a blanket generalisation cannot be sustained, not least because of the commonality of regulatory experiences across member states, and prior experience of the industry in transnational political action. These have been reproduced at the EC level to the point of a Euro‐private in...

Private organizations in global politics

1. Private organisations and their contribution to problem-solving in the global arena Karsten Ronit and Volker Schneider 2. Representation of private organisations in the global diplomacy of economic policy-making Peter Willetts 3. Embedding global financial markets: securitisation and the emerging web of governance Philip G. Cerny 4. The good, the bad, or the ugly? Practices of global self-regulation among dyestuffs producers Karsten Ronit 5. The internet society and its struggle for recognition and influence Raymund Werle and Volker Leib 6. Why do community-based AIDS organisations coordinate at the global level? Patrick Kenis 7. The global social capital of human rights movements: a case study on Amnesty International Volker Schneider 8. The international womens movement as a private political actor between accommodation and change Bob Reinalda 9. The policy roles of private research institutes in global politics Diane Stone

Institutions of Private Authority in Global Governance: Linking Territorial Forms of Self-Regulation

In the current discussion on globalization, it is often argued that state power at the national level has diminished and authority has been surrendered to global market forces. In this context it is ignored that beyond state and market there is a private system of governance linking different territorial levels in which the national sphere continues to be important. Thus, self-regulatory arrangements exist across many policy fields, but business—which is a very globalized interest category—is particularly rich with examples. Various theories are developed to examine self-regulation as an alternative to public regulation through private actors in domestic and international levels. This article seeks to analyze and integrate these theories developed mainly within comparative politics and international relations studies. A successful integration of these perspectives can also help interpret globalization processes and the role of the national sphere in the context of different systems of governance.

Obesity and industry self-regulation of food and beverage marketing: a literature review

Objective:Obesity is a growing concern at national and international levels, and it is increasingly recognised that the industry has a role in and hence needs to be involved in halting the obesity epidemic. The objective of this study is to describe, analyse and evaluate research on industry self-regulation regarding food and beverage marketing and nutrition labelling.Subjects/methods:Five databases were searched for combinations of the search terms—obesity, nutrition, food, beverages, industry, self-regulation, labelling, advertising and marketing—and papers were selected on the basis of paper titles and, subsequently, on the basis of abstracts.Results:Of the 4978 identified publications, 22 were included in the final review. The studies show that commitments in industry self-regulation schemes tend to be relatively vague and permissive, that the measurable effects of the self-regulations tend to be relatively small and that some extent of public regulation may catalyse the effectiveness of industry self-regulation.Conclusions:Although the reviewed studies vary in terms of analytic units and methods applied, they generally stress an ineffectiveness of existing self-regulation schemes. Food industry self-regulation in relation to obesity prevention is an emerging field of research, and further research is needed in such schemes’ definitions of regulatory standards, their monitoring and sanctioning mechanisms, and their interactions with public regulation, if industry self-regulation of marketing behaviour is to become an effective and credible approach.

From Simple to Complex : an Evolutionary Sketch of Theories of Business Association

Laments about the poor state of theory development in interest representation and associability are widespread (Knoke, 1986; Baumgartner & Leech, 1998). Despite the prevalent agreement on this matter, some scholars have only recently taken up the responsibility of investing in theory development and building a more compelling theory under the label of ‘neopluralism’ (Lowery & Gray, 2004; McFarland, 2004). However, their focus rests quite narrowly on economic, pluralist, and ecological approaches that share basic assumptions about the causal mechanisms of interest group activities, but on the whole cover a particular part of the theoretical landscape. Furthermore, their attempt does not distinguish between different interests or differing group characteristics. For the purposes of this volume their approach to theory development seems rather skimpy and too abstract to begin the endeavor. Therefore we will concentrate more specifically on theories and approaches that focus on organized business interests, a field where further theory development is also needed.

Global Strategies and Policy Arrangements: Institutional Drivers for Innovation in the Wind Turbine Industry

Wind Energy is increasingly recognised as a sustainable, alternative energy source that could contribute to the solving of a range of environmental problems, but with a potential that has not yet been fully exploited. Several factors account for the opportunities found in this sector and the barriers to their utilization. This chapter focuses on the agenda-setting powers and the capacity for building new innovation systems in the area of wind technology, and analyzes three groups of actors whose efforts and relations will be decisive for the further development of this sector. Nation states and relevant international organizations, businesses in support of and in opposition to wind energy, and various civil society organisations with an interest in sustainable energy are discussed. Environmental groups are usually very critical of specific industries, although these groups also can contribute to the further advancement of business. All actors are related to the national and global innovation systems in which they participate.

Global Business Associations, Self-Regulation and Consumer Policy

In recent decades new interesting efforts have been made in global consumer policy, and certain advances have been made to endow the consumers with more rights and provide better information. This should give consumers a stronger position and thus sustain key functions of markets. According to the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection, governments are attributed a crucial responsibility, but in addition, “all enterprises should obey the relevant laws and regulations of the countries in which they do business. They should also conform to the appropriate provisions of international standards for consumer protection to which the competent authorities of the country in question have agreed” (United Nations, United Nations guidelines for consumer protection (as expanded in 1999). UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs United Nations, New York, 2003). This chapter explores different initiatives in the global business community.

Regulating Lobbying: A Global Comparison

are squeezed into tantalisingly brief word allocations that compress the exegesis of arguments too heavily, and leave too little space for discussion of alternative views. Conti, for example shows (albeit through an almost indecipherable graphical presentation) something important about policy convergence between the parties, but does not discuss what degree of ideological convergence or divergence between parties might be most functional to a democracy: a matter that might be thought rather important given claims elsewhere in the book about the quality of public debate. So – a mixed review, concluding with a final heretical thought. Maybe Italy isn’t the sick man of Europe anyway? If bond markets are to be believed, it is less sick than Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. Its excesses were in the 1980s. Since then it has been prudent and has coped with its 20-year hangover quite responsibly, even if the cost has been heavy in terms of growth, investment and southern development. The other countries had a bigger party, much more recently, and now they hurt more, and may do for longer. Who is sickest is of course a pretty unhelpful debate, but that wider issue suggests there are European dimensions to the problem, even for a society as anomalous as Italy.