Organizing for social sustainability: governance through bureaucratization in meta-organizations
The difficulties nation states face when attempting to use traditional legal means to cope with transnational phenomena such as environmental degradation, international labor conditions, and global trade have created an opportunity for the emergence of new types of regulations. These rules are often...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2012-03-01
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| Series: | Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://sspp.proquest.com/archives/vol8iss1/1008-036.thedvall.html |
| _version_ | 1819204670469439488 |
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| author | Åsa Casula Vifell Renita Thedvall |
| author_facet | Åsa Casula Vifell Renita Thedvall |
| author_sort | Åsa Casula Vifell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The difficulties nation states face when attempting to use traditional legal means to cope with transnational phenomena such as environmental degradation, international labor conditions, and global trade have created an opportunity for the emergence of new types of regulations. These rules are often issued by organizations that produce voluntary measures such as standards and action plans to influence the behavior of individuals and institutions. These are in many cases meta-organizations that have other organizations rather than individuals as members. They are important links in the process of creating and diffusing dominant definitions in the “ideoscape” of influential policy concepts such as sustainable development. This article explores how two meta-organizations, Fairtrade International (FLO) and Organic Forum, shape the concepts of fair trade and organic food by providing ideas and content to the ideoscape of sustainable development. We argue that this process takes place by governance through bureaucratization in which fair trade and organic food become formalized, precisely defined, and made visible. This in turn determines how—or even if—the social dimension of sustainability can be made into policy. Furthermore, we find explanations in these processes as to why the social dimension of sustainability tends to be the most underdeveloped. We conclude that bureaucratization is also a form of politics, although not one that is as easily recognizable as an open power struggle. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:39:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb3d389030364c27a8a9f0aaf072ccbf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1548-7733 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:39:30Z |
| publishDate | 2012-03-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb3d389030364c27a8a9f0aaf072ccbf2022-12-21T17:59:49ZengTaylor & Francis GroupSustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy1548-77332012-03-01815058Organizing for social sustainability: governance through bureaucratization in meta-organizationsÅsa Casula VifellRenita ThedvallThe difficulties nation states face when attempting to use traditional legal means to cope with transnational phenomena such as environmental degradation, international labor conditions, and global trade have created an opportunity for the emergence of new types of regulations. These rules are often issued by organizations that produce voluntary measures such as standards and action plans to influence the behavior of individuals and institutions. These are in many cases meta-organizations that have other organizations rather than individuals as members. They are important links in the process of creating and diffusing dominant definitions in the “ideoscape” of influential policy concepts such as sustainable development. This article explores how two meta-organizations, Fairtrade International (FLO) and Organic Forum, shape the concepts of fair trade and organic food by providing ideas and content to the ideoscape of sustainable development. We argue that this process takes place by governance through bureaucratization in which fair trade and organic food become formalized, precisely defined, and made visible. This in turn determines how—or even if—the social dimension of sustainability can be made into policy. Furthermore, we find explanations in these processes as to why the social dimension of sustainability tends to be the most underdeveloped. We conclude that bureaucratization is also a form of politics, although not one that is as easily recognizable as an open power struggle.http://sspp.proquest.com/archives/vol8iss1/1008-036.thedvall.htmlsustainable developmentglobalizationstandardizationorganizationsfood industrybureaucracysocial conditions |
| spellingShingle | Åsa Casula Vifell Renita Thedvall Organizing for social sustainability: governance through bureaucratization in meta-organizations Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy sustainable development globalization standardization organizations food industry bureaucracy social conditions |
| title | Organizing for social sustainability: governance through bureaucratization in meta-organizations |
| title_full | Organizing for social sustainability: governance through bureaucratization in meta-organizations |
| title_fullStr | Organizing for social sustainability: governance through bureaucratization in meta-organizations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Organizing for social sustainability: governance through bureaucratization in meta-organizations |
| title_short | Organizing for social sustainability: governance through bureaucratization in meta-organizations |
| title_sort | organizing for social sustainability governance through bureaucratization in meta organizations |
| topic | sustainable development globalization standardization organizations food industry bureaucracy social conditions |
| url | http://sspp.proquest.com/archives/vol8iss1/1008-036.thedvall.html |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT asacasulavifell organizingforsocialsustainabilitygovernancethroughbureaucratizationinmetaorganizations AT renitathedvall organizingforsocialsustainabilitygovernancethroughbureaucratizationinmetaorganizations |