Constructing private governance: the rise and evolution of forest, coffee, and fisheries certification

Abstract

Consumers now encounter organic or fair-trade labels on a variety of products, implying such desirable benefits as improved environmental conditions or more equitable market transactions. But what do we know about the origins and development of the organizations behind these labels? Why have some flourished while others faltered? And why are some sectors rich with labeling organizations while others have very few? This book compares the rise and evolution of certification programs in the coffee, fishery, and forest industries to arrive at a model that reveals how market and political conditions, as well as the characteristics of program founders, shape the early character of the governance rules and certification standards that programs adopt.

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