Explaining variation in the multiplicity of private social and environmental regulation: a multi-case integration across the coffee, forestry and textile sectors

Abstract

Amid concerns for a regulatory void in transnational fields, the principle of private regulation has become institutionalized. Many sectors have seen the emergence of multiple and overlapping standards. When comparing the sectors, there is considerable variation in standard multiplicity. We build on three institutional perspectives that have been put forward to explain the emergence of sustainability standards – the economic, idealist and political-institutional perspectives – to analyze the phenomenon of standard multiplicity. Each perspective reflects a different kind of action logic and is simultaneously present and accessible to various parties involved. Based on a cross-sector analysis of standards multiplicity in the forestry, coffee and textile sectors, this article seeks to make two contributions. First, whereas these three perspectives have been presented as competing, we propose that they are complementary in offering partial explanations for different episodes in the dynamics underlying standards multiplicity in different sectors. Second, whereas most studies have analyzed standard setting in single sectors and thus have understood it as being an intra-sector phenomenon, our cross-sector analysis of the dynamics of standard setting suggests that it is propelled by both sector-specific contingencies and experiences as well as by the experiences from other sectors.

Fragmented or cohesive transnational private regulation of sustainability standards? A comparative study

“…The few studies that compare across industries do not distinguish between cohesive or fragmented regulation (Bartley ; Auld ; Turcotte et al . ), or explore the significance of one independent variable in an issue area outside of the sustainability‐standards field (such as technical systems in finance; Porter ). Studies recognize that certain dynamics creating PRO fragmentation may apply across industries, but so far we lack empirical work inquiring across industries and issue areas what industry characteristics or what PRO features in an industry influence the fragmentation or cohesiveness of private regulation…”

Work ties beget community? Assessing interactions among transnational private governance organizations in sustainable agriculture

“…Beyond these common features, the TPGOs examined vary on other characteristics. They have formed in different countries , been backed by different business, development agency and NGO founders (Auld et al 2007), and have arisen to address different social, © 2015 The Author(s) environmental and economic problems (Turcotte et al 2014). We exploit these and other differences to see if and how they influence the patterns of work ties we observe.…”

“…Several studies describe and explain the proliferation of TPGOs in the agriculture sector and beyond (Auld 2014b;Smith and Fischlein 2010;Turcotte et al 2014). This literature recognizes the importance of interactions among TPGOs for the longer-term authority, effectiveness and legitimacy of transnational private governance (Eberlein et al 2014).…”

“…Second, the literature is still undecided about the degree to which rational-economic calculations, political tensions, sociological-ideational forces, or a combination of all three, drive interactions among TPGOs (Turcotte et al 2014). Authors supporting a sociological, ideational perspective of TPGO interactions present a long-term perspective wherein interactions between TPGOs change in character over time, due to socialization among policymakers.…”

Multiplication of Environmental Labelling and Information Schemes (ELIS)

“…Turcotte et al (2013) offer a high-level comparison of label proliferation in coffee, forestry and textiles. The study aimed to compare three general approaches to understanding proliferation, labelled the "economic," the "idealist," and the "political-institutionalist" perspectives.…”