Private Sector and International Standard-Setting: The Challenge for Business and Government

Virginia Haufler, Visiting Scholar, Carnegie Endowment

9/12/2008
(Original Publish Date: 5/1/1999)

The trend towards voluntary standard setting would be interesting enough if it was limited to just one issue area. Instead, this trend has emerged across a wide range of policy arenas at the national and international levels. Nor is it limited to only one industry sector or to a set of unique individual corporations, but increasingly involves groups of corporations in different industries. Comparisons across issue areas tell us which common factors are leading to this common response. These factors must be fundamental facets of a changed global environment. The common turn towards private sector standard setting poses new challenges to both business and government.