Sustainability Standards and Global Governance

Archna Negi is Associate Professor at the Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India. She has about 15 years of teaching experience at JNU, in which she has taught courses on international organization, law and diplomacy. She has supervised research both at Ph.D and M.Phil. levels. Her research expertise is in the issue areas of trade and environment. She was at the Trade and Environment Division of the World Trade Organization in Geneva as a Visiting Scholar for a brief period of two months in 2007. She has also participated in the six-month 'Managing Global Governance' programme at the German Development Institute in the year 2007. She has a Masters Degree in Political Science (from Delhi University) and a Doctorate in International Law (from Jawaharlal Nehru University).
Jorge A. Pérez-Pineda is a research professor at Anahuac University Mexico in the Faculty of Business and Economics and belongs to the National Research System (SNI) in Mexico. He has been consultant for Mexican and international institutions such as AMEXCID, OXFAM, Endeva, UNDP, AECID, GIZ, IICA, and professor in other universities such as UNAM and Mora Institute. He holds a BA in Economics for the National University Autonomous of Mexico and a Masters degree and PhD by the Complutense University of Madrid, with postgraduate studies at the University of Essex and a specialization on Global Governance by the German Development Institute (DIE). His research interests are on the topics of private sector and international cooperation, CSR, middle income countries, and financing development.

This open access book focuses on the issue of sustainability standards from the perspective of both global governance frameworks and emerging economies. It stems from the recognition that the accelerated pace of economic globalization has generated production and consumption patterns that are generating sustainability concerns. Sustainability standards (and regulations) are increasingly being used in a bid to make global consumption and production more sustainable. Given the dense inter-connectedness of economic affairs globally, the use of sustainability standards has become a concern of global governance, who face the challenge of achieving a balance between the use of standards for genuine sustainability objectives, and not allowing them to turn into instruments of protectionism or coercion.The emerging economies, given their increasing engagement with the global economy, are most impacted by the use of sustainability standards. The emphasis of 'emerging economies' in thisbook is retained both by using case studies from these economies and by collating perceptions and assessments of those located in these economies. The case studies included span sectors such as palm oil, forestry, food quality, vehicular emissions and water standards, and address the problems unique to the emerging economies, including capacity building for compliance with standards, adapting international standards in domestic contexts and addressing the exclusion of small and medium enterprises etc.
Complex interfaces and dynamics of a global nature are not limited to the thematic of this book but also extend to the process through which it was written. This book brings together insights from developed as well as emerging economies (Germany, India, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, Mexico and China). It also brings together scholars and practitioners to jointly ponder upon the conceptual aspects of the global frameworks for sustainability standards. This book is a very useful resource for researchers and practitioners alike, and provides valuable insights for policy makers as well.

Contributes to a better understanding of the three key themes that it deals with - sustainability standards, global governance, and emerging economies