RT Article
T1 Global Policies and Local Practice: Loose and Tight Couplings in Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives
JF Business ethics quarterly
VO 22
IS 4
SP 679
OP 708
A1 Rasche, Andreas
LA English
PB Cambridge Univ. Press
YR 2012
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1824195680
AB This paper extends scholarship on multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) in the context of corporate social responsibility in three ways. First, I outline a framework to analyze the strength of couplings between actors participating in MSIs. Characterizing an MSI as consisting of numerous local networks that are embedded in a wider global network, I argue that tighter couplings (within local networks) and looser couplings (between local networks) coexist. Second, I suggest that this coexistence of couplings enables MSIs to generate policy outcomes which address the conditions of a transnational regulatory context. I argue that MSIs’ way of organizing enables them to cope with three challenges: the stability, flexibility, and legitimacy of governance. Reflecting on these challenges, the article identifies a number of problems related to MSIs’ role in transnational governance. Third, I discuss the UN Global Compact as an illustrative case and examine problems and opportunities related to its stability, flexibility, and legitimacy.
K1 local networks
K1 network theory
K1 loose coupling
K1 Global Governance
K1 Corporate Social Responsibility
K1 Multi-stakeholder initiatives
DO 10.5840/beq201222444