Bringing the Public Interest into Standard Setting

Linda Garcia, Georgetown University

7/31/2008
(Original Publish Date: 2/3/2007)

In the United States, much of the discussion about standard setting has focused on the question of ‘what is the appropriate division of labor between the public and private sectors in this arena?’ With few exceptions the answer has been to assign the responsibility for setting standards to the private sector. This choice has been based on two basic assumptions. First, it is believed that private sector standards are highly attuned to market forces, so they provide the greatest economic value. Second, the government is understood to have no stake in the outcome of standards processes apart from its role as a ‘consumer of standards.’ Thus, by participating in the standards process as a user, the government—it is believed— can fully serve the public interest.