PROSPER · Politics of Rulemaking, Orchestration of Standards, and Private Economic Regulations

PROSPER is an interdisciplinary project that seeks to understand the politics of rule-making in the global trade regime. It primarily aims to examine how the growth of internationalization of production networks enables private actors – i.e. multinational companies (MNCs) – to be active in the shaping of international economic policies, such as trade agreements and regulatory standards. PROSPER will primarily investigate the extent to which MNCs are able to orchestrate political mobilization of their subsidiaries for coordinated lobbying and impose rules and standards upon firms along their supply chains. Applying international political economy (IPE) insights from the fields of political science, economics, and international law, the projects proposes that firms’ globalization strategies and their degree of integration into global production networks significantly affect their ability to be active in shaping global rules and standards. In order to test the empirical implications of the proposed theory, PROSPER will employ a mixed-method research design using quantitative analysis and in-depth case studies. The project will construct a comprehensive new dataset of MNCs and triangulate the results achieved through statistical analysis via comparative cases studies. As a result, by combining insights from political science, economics, and international law, the project will help us understand the dynamics of economic globalization and the role of private actors in the global trade governance.