Work

Varieties of multi-stakeholder governance: selecting legitimation strategies in transnational sustainability politics

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) are often referred to as the ‘gold standard’ of private governance. However, existing MSIs vary strongly in their institutional designs and the ways in which they use inclusiveness, procedural fairness and, expert-based strategies to create legitimacy for their rules. This article investigates these institutional choices. It reviews arguments about demand from legitimacy-granting audiences, isomorphic pressures, and the role played by institutional entrepreneurs, and intergroup bargaining. It explores these mechanisms in an empirical investigation of the formation of three MSIs in the field of sustainable agriculture. Its findings advance our understanding of the conditions under which MSIs adhere or depart from normative ideals of democratic governance.

Source: Globalizations

DOI: 10.1080/14747731.2018.1518863

Author: Philip Schleifer

Institution: University of Amsterdam

Language: English

Topic: Global trade, sustainability, and social impact

Subfield: Strategy and Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: McKnight Foundation