Institutions of private authority in global governance - Linking territorial forms of self-regulation

In the current discussion on globalization, it is often argued that state p ower at the national level has diminished and authority has been surrendere d to global market forces. In this context it is ignored that beyond state and market there is a private system of governance linking different territ orial levels in which the national sphere continues to be important. Thus, self-regulatory arrangements exist across many policy fields, but business- which is a very globalized interest category-is particularly rich with exam ples. Various theories are developed to examine self-regulation as an alter native to public regulation through private actors in domestic and internat ional levels. This article seeks to analyze and integrate these theories de veloped mainly within comparative politics and international relations stud ies. A successful integration of these perspectives can also help interpret globalization processes and the role of the national sphere in the context of different systems of governance.