The emergence of an increasingly global economy has involved changes in production, improvements in technology, and the liberalization of international trade and finance. Critics of neoliberalism are concerned that in the new economic environment, many firms do not act responsibly, failing to play by the spirit of market rules or to live up to their obligations to key stakeholder groups. Furthermore there is not the same economic institutions and legal frameworks in place in the international realm that we have in the domestic realm to ensure that the economy functions in line with basic...

This volume assesses the achievements and limitations of a new set of non-state or multistakeholder institutions that are concerned with improving the social and environmental record of business, and holding corporations to account. It does so from a perspective that aims to address two limitations that often characterize this field of inquiry. First, fragmentation: articles or books typically focus on one or a handful of cases. Second, the development dimension: what does such regulation imply for developing countries and subaltern groups in terms of well-being, empowerment and...