Chapter 8 synthesizes the findings of the book and discusses the theoretical implications—namely, appropriate and more fruitful ways by which to evaluate the nature of private authority in environmental politics. It also presents future channels for inquiry, situating the work within a much broader set of issues and questions relating to institutional complexity in a networked society, and the effects of such on all forms of authority over time.
Conclusion
The findings of this book are significant for four reasons: One, although this book is focused on the FSC/MSC in particular, it has a more general aim of expanding understandings of how private governance unfolds in general. The strategic interactions among actors in the forestry and fisheries sectors very much reflect those taking place within various other global political sectors. Thus, the hypotheses generated by the theory expounded here, along with the findings that follow from the empirical sections, are in many ways generalizable across political sectors.
Two, private authority does not occur in a vacuum. Rather, it is polycentric. The rational bureaucratic model of the industrial-era state is not an accurate reflection of the more contemporary developments within network society. The latter takes place in a decentralized social structure with many centers that are interconnected by nodes. It is important to emphasize that this structure is social in nature. It reflects a diverse array of actors competing across multiple levels of the international system for authority and influence. Therefore, answering the questions posed by this book should be of interest not just to scholars of private authority but also to those of international relations more generally. Understanding this process should shed light on the evolving forms of global governance, and not just on the role of non-state actors in it, but on the role of the state as well. This book purposely avoids entering into the argument that the traditional nation-state is losing ground to non-state actors, or that state power is necessarily being weakened or challenged by these actors. This book only argues that the nature of global governance is changing in form and this is forcing the state and non-state actors to adapt to these newer realities. It then examines the process by which this phenomenon operates under this form. The state in this book is considered to be a hub in the global network, a particularly powerful one at that, to which non-state actors can connect and disconnect contingent upon dynamically evolving circumstances. Additionally, the study of international relations has tended to focus on international law and international organizations as the vehicles by which global governance is carried out.83 However, the arguments and evidence presented by this book will demonstrate another form of governance that needs to be considered—private governance. Private governance, and the authority wielded by those that engage in it, is an intimate part of the process of global governance.
Three, focusing research efforts on the environmental sector is useful because the environment is critically important. There are countless scientific assessments that speak of the looming threats of environmental degradation and the need to mitigate these. There have been several high-level international conferences held in order to discuss the topic. Collectively, these realities reflect a growing consensus that the future of human life on this planet depends on taking appropriate action. Therefore, any effort at better understanding how the environment is managed is a worthy endeavor. As private governance measures gain increasing support and popularity, while at the same time being accused of greenwashing and taking natural pressure off states to exercise their power within the domain, the topic of private governance, in particular, is critical for the future.84,85
Four, and finally, private governance in the environmental domain is growing exponentially. The vast array of actors and interests that are operating within this domain is dense and thus provides a rich base by which to examine private governance. Although the focus of this book is the FSC and the MSC, it also considers a variety of actors operating within the same domain (ENGOs), each with distinct tactical approaches. The dense richness of the domain allows for a more nuanced look at this political development.
NOTES
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