Source: Washington

Increasing economic competition and the powerful threat of transnational activism are pushing the private sector to respond with new political strategies. Over the past decade, a growing number of corporations have adopted policies of industry self-regulation such as corporate codes of conduct, social and environmental standards, and auditing and monitoring systems. A Public Role for the Private Sector is the first book to explore this self-regulation phenomenon on an international level across three different policy issues—environment, labor, and information privacy.

Virginia Haufler directed the Project on the Role of the Private Sector in International Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment. She is associate professor at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Advance Praise

"Anyone seeking to become better-informed about the changing role of business in the modern world should read this book."
—Debora L. Spar, Harvard Business School

"Breaks new ground in explaining the nature of industry self-regulation in today's globalizing economy. The rich case material makes this book essential reading for understanding the role of business in the 21st century."
—Georg Kell, UN Office of the Global Compact

"Offers a useful framework for assessing the drivers and mechanisms for industry self-regulation and poses a set of questions that policy makers, business leaders, activists, and academics cannot afford to ignore."
—Jane Nelson, International Business Leaders Forum