Corporations are playing increasingly significant roles in trying to resolve global governance issues through corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and practices, in response to pressure by NGOs and cognizant consumers, and to activist shareholders. Many firms claim that they -œcan do well by doing good-, advertising their CSR initiatives as part of their brand. These pressures have converged towards an institutionalization of CSR, including being featured in both national and global agreements, with companies starting to work together in private regimes, and some with international organizations and NGOs in emerging mixed regimes. Examining three sectors: forestry, mining, and textiles, we find the results unsatisfactory in terms of transparency and enforcement. The article suggests improving domestic regulatory capacity via global pressure could improve governance outcomes by increasing the quality and consistency of local labour and environmental enforcement.
