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Whether global rules and standards originate from a public intergovernmental body or from a private organization has significant implications for the applicability of international law such as wto law. However, how sensible is this distinction between public and private? This paper argues that the distinction between public and private standards only makes sense if one looks at the legal status of specific standard-setting organisations. However, the distinction between public and private begins to blur and fade if one switches the unit of analysis. First, the paper shows that private standards are often based on internationally agreed (public) rules and norms. Second, the paper argues that governments on purpose or in the design of their policies take these private initiatives on board. Hence, they become an integral part of 'public' governance. These arguments are developed on the basis of an analysis of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (vss).

This paper argues that the distinction between public and private standards only make sense if one looks at the legal status of specific standard-setting organisations. If one switches the unit of analysis the distinction between public and private begins to blur and fade. In this context, two different unit of analysis are analyzed. One unit of analysis focuses on specific standards, while another unit of analysis looks at a more aggregated level and analyzes broader 'public' regulatory approaches in which private standards are embedded. Concerning the former, the paper shows that private standards are often based on internationally agreed (public) rules and norms. Concerning the latter, the paper argues that governments on purpose or in the design of their policies take these private initiatives on board. Hence, they become an integral part of 'public' governance. These arguments are developed on the basis of an analysis of Voluntary Sustainability Standards which constitute a leading example of so-called private standards. The paper first introduces the emergence, proliferation and importance of VSS. Next, the paper assesses how private standards in VSS. Next, the attention turns to the link between public policy and VSS. The paper ends with a conclusion.

AbstractNon‐state market regulation has become a central focus and continues to receive scholarly attention. The present paper provides an assessment of the conditions under which multinational firms join a multi‐stakeholder certification initiative. The cases of the Fair labor Association and 17 international sport footwear companies have been selected for this purpose. A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of the 17 cases is performed. The paper argues that the combination of sustained NGO pressure and public ownership of a firm is a necessary precondition for firms joining a multi‐stakeholder certification initiative. The theoretical and policy implications of this result are discussed.

Non-state market regulation has become a central focus and continues to receive scholarly attention. The present paper provides an assessment of the conditions under which multinational firms join a multi-stakeholder certification initiative. The cases of the Fair labor Association and 17 international sport footwear companies have been selected for this purpose. A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of the 17 cases is performed. The paper argues that the combination of sustained NGO pressure and public ownership of a firm is a necessary precondition for firms joining a multi-stakeholder certification initiative. The theoretical and policy implications of this result are discussed.

The paper discusses the contribution of systematic comparative case research for evaluation research. The paper argues that systematic comparative case research is suitable to address 'why' questions for evaluation research because it aims to identify (configurations of) explanatory causal conditions and processes within a set of comparable cases. Systematic comparative case research consists of two components. On the one hand, the approach focuses on similarities and differences of explanatory conditions across cases. On the other hand, the approach focuses on the processes within each case to explain how explanatory conditions are linked to a certain outcome. The paper uses different published examples to illustrate the most defining characteristics of the approach.