European University Institute Library

Transparency in transnational sustainability governance, a multivariate analysis of regulatory standard-setting programs, Philip Schleifer, Matteo Fiorini and Graeme Auld

eng

Beginning in the early 1990s, non-state actors have taken over a wide range of governance functions that used to be the prerogative of states and international organizations. In the field of International Relations and related disciplines, this has intensified debates about a lack of accountability and legitimacy in global governance. Reviewing this debate and the role transparency can play in mitigating the problem, this article uses a new data set to analyze the issue empirically. Examining a sample of 143 regulatory standard-setting (RSS) programs in the field of transnational sustainability governance, we show that "deep transparency"- i.e. the disclosure of salient information - remains a problem in this domain. However, there are also RSS programs that are highly transparent in their practices. Using a multivariate analysis, we investigate the internal and external determinants of these inter-program variations. We find a systematic relationship between inclusiveness and transparency - although no evidence for the conventional wisdom that single-actor business programs are per se less credible. Turning to the external determinants of transparency two findings stand out: First, instead of a "ratcheting-up effect", we observe a race-to-the-bottom dynamic between competing RSS programs. Second, our results confirm arguments about the positive influence of meta-governance on transparency

Includes bibliographical references

no index present

non fiction

Transparency in transnational sustainability governance

electronic resource

dictionariesbibliography

1088489175

Philip Schleifer, Matteo Fiorini and Graeme Auld

EUI working papers. RSC, 2017/16EUI papersGlobal Governance Programme, 258

a multivariate analysis of regulatory standard-setting programs