All Window Dressing? Business Participation in Transnational Public-Private Governance Initiatives

Business is an important actor in global governance. But what motivates companies and their associations to become involved in governing global problems? A prominent view in the literature emphasizes corporate window dressing as a major driver. By participating in global governance activities, business actors, so the argument goes, seek to distract policy-makers and the broader public from the negative consequences of their behavior and try to avoid hard regulation and the loss of customers. However, empirical support for this argument is thin.

In this presentation, Dr Oliver Westerwinter provides a systematic examination of the window dressing hypothesis, based on new data on business participation in transnational public-private governance initiatives. He finds that – contrary to what the window dressing argument would suggest – businesses frequently participate in initiatives that go beyond symbolic declarations, specifying behavioral obligations for their members and adopting monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. Dr Westerwinter’s presentation will discuss the implications of this finding and alternative explanations for business participation in the delivery of global public goods, based on case study evidence.