Sustainable agri-food governance: the role of public regulation and private standards

The funding request mainly concerned a three month visit of the well-known Professor in Sociology, Lawrence Busch, from Michigan State University. The overall objective of the collaboration with Pr Lawrence Busch during his stay in Montpellier was to examine conceptual and practical issues surrounding the widespread acceptance and adoption of private standards for sustainability as replacements for or complements to public regulation (laws) in the agrifood domain, and as compared to other domains (e.g., finance, product safety, environmental protection, medical care) and their dynamics. This collaboration provided critical insights into the sustainability implications of the proliferation of private standards.

This project allowed to (1) bring with it closer ties to persons and institutions working on these issues in the United States, France and Europe, (2) strengthen the conceptual and empirical foundations of Moisa’s, Cepel’s and other unit’s work on sustainable standards, and (3) build closer ties between the French regulation and convention schools, 4) bring insights and conceptual reflection into two interrelated key issues linked to the widespread use of private standards as a means of promoting sustainability in the agrifood sector: the ubiquity of the market world, and defining appropriate roles for states and markets in the governance of standards, certifications, and accreditations.