Industry Self Regulation

Increasing economic competition combined with the powerful threat of transnational activism are pushing firms to develop new political strategies. Over the past decade a growing number of corporations have adopted policies of industry self-regulation—corporate codes of conduct, social and environmental standards, and auditing and monitoring systems. A Public Role for the Private Sector explores the phenomenon of industry self-regulation through three different cases—environment, labor, and information privacy—where corporate leaders appear to be converging on industry self-regulation as the appropriate response to competing pressures. Political and economic risks, reputational effects, and learning within the business community all influence the adoption of a self-regulatory strategy, but there are wide variations in the strength and character of it across industries and issue areas. Industry self-regulation raises significant questions about the place of the private sector in regulation and governance, and the accountability, legitimacy and power of industry at a time of rapid globalization.

This book examines how markets have evolved and provides insights for improved consumer policy making. It explores, for the first time, how what we have learned through the study of behavioural economics is changing the way policy makers are addressing problems.

The idea of self-regulation as an instrument capable of mitigating socially undesirable practices in industries - such as corruption, environmental degradation, or the violation of human rights - is receiving substantial consideration in theory and practice. By approaching this phenomenon with the theory of the New Institutional Economics, Jan Sammeck develops an analytical approach that points out the critical mechanisms which decide about the effectiveness of this instrument. By integrating theory with practical examples of self-regulation, this study highlights the necessity to look at the institutional incentives of an industry, in order to come to a sound judgement about the feasibility and effectiveness of this instrument in a given situation.

The Government has an objective of lowering regulatory costs on business, improving market outcomes for consumers and encouraging self-regulation, including promoting quality codes of conduct in consumer markets. The Government also has the objective that industry should take increased ownership and responsibility for developing efficient and effective self-regulation where it is the most appropriate regulatory response. The Taskforce on self-regulation was asked to inquire into and report on aspects of self-regulation pertinent to those objectives.

As companies 'go global' they increasingly use factories and facilities spread across the world. But who regulates their activities in far flung corners of the world economy? The chapters in this volume evaluate the effectiveness of self-regulation compared to other forms of global regulation.

Why self-regulation? With the advent of such concepts as design for the environment, industrial ecology, and the recognized enlightened self-interest that voluntary compliance brings, it is in any company's best interest to avoid fines, liabilities, and bad publicity. Consumer concern and pressure from the marketplace give a competitive advantage to companies that pursue self-regulatory initiatives such as ISO 14001. Bottom line, voluntary compliance saves your organization time and money. Written by a senior environmental manager at a Fortune 500 company, Industry Self-Regulation and Voluntary Environmental Compliance examines environmental regulation through a review of compliance and enforcement theory. Case studies of four leading programs illustrate the use of self-regulation as a compliance tool. The author highlights industry best practices, identifies the key elements of a successful self-regulation program and focuses on the benefits. Today's political environment has shown that to be successful environmental policy must move to the next level, one in which we take advantage of voluntary self-regulation initiatives and focus on environmental improvement. Industry Self-Regulation and Voluntary Environmental Compliance shows you how to create a voluntary self-regulation program that will result in your organization becoming a star company.

Every day, societal demand grows for some form of control or supervision over something that appears inherently beyond governance: the Internet. The gulf between community aspiration and the perceived limits on government capacity forces each entity, industry, and regulator to conduct a thorough and painstaking search for an appropriate solution. The resolution to this dilemma requires the innovation of regulatory design for the Internet. Without flexibility and responsiveness, traditional law and regulation cannot adequately address the transnational, intangible, and ever changing Internet space. Attempts at Internet regulation generally have moved away from direct legal control and toward more flexible variations of what can be termed ?self-regulation.? This ground-breaking book by two leading authorities in this new field of law concerns the mushrooming growth of institutions and systems of self-regulation on the Internet. Internet self-regulation involves many issues, including e-commerce, technical protocols, and domain names management, but most public concern and debate has been over illegal and harmful content on the Internet. Self-Regulation and the Internet examines how self-regulatory entities for content relate to other quasi-legal and state institutions, what powers are accorded to or seized by self-regulatory institutions, and how the use of self-regulation can contribute to the more effective and more efficient realization of both economic and societal goals. This book offers: a general and theoretical examination of self-regulation, focusing on codes of conduct; approaches to the methodology and process for adopting such codes; descriptions and evaluations of technical devices as self-regulatory tools; and an analysis of Internet self-regulation in a converged and digital environment. The analysis encompasses a wide spectrum, from technical matters of filters and transmission streams to such important legal issues as the possible meanings of such terms as ?illegal and harmful.? Crucial topics include ISP service agreements, anti-spam measures, regulation of hate speech, digital television, defining a common language for metainformation, and a great deal more. The geographic scope is global, with numerous detailed references to developments in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. The breadth and depth of this analysis, and the vast quantity of information that underpins it, give this book an authoritative preeminence not to be found elsewhere. In the coming years, as the material it examines continues to grow and change in ever more dramatic ways, it will be turned to again and again for its invaluable insights and recommendations.