Contestation in Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives: Enhancing the Democratic Quality of Transnational Governance

ABSTRACT This article studies multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) as spaces for both deliberation and contestation between constituencies with competing discourses and disputed values, beliefs, and preferences. We review different theoretical perspectives on MSIs, which see them mainly as spaces to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Business ethics quarterly 2020-04, Vol.30 (2), p.169-199
Main Authors: Arenas, Daniel, Albareda, Laura, Goodman, Jennifer
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accountability
Circular economy
Civil society
Democracy
Discourses
Governance
Humanities and Social Sciences
International organizations
Political science
Quality standards
Social responsibility
Stakeholders
Transnationalism
Transparency
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Summary:ABSTRACT This article studies multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) as spaces for both deliberation and contestation between constituencies with competing discourses and disputed values, beliefs, and preferences. We review different theoretical perspectives on MSIs, which see them mainly as spaces to find solutions to market problems (economic approach), as spaces of conflict and bargaining (political approach), or as spaces of consensus (deliberative approach). In contrast, we build on a contestatory deliberative perspective, which gives equal value to both contestation and consensus. We identify four types of internal contestation which can be present in MSIs—procedural, inclusiveness, epistemic, and ultimate-goal—and argue that embracing contestation and engaging in ongoing revision of provisional agreements, criteria, and goals can enhance the democratic quality of MSIs. Finally, we explore the implications of this perspective for theorizing about the democratic quality in MSIs and about the role of corporations in transnational governance.
ISSN:1052-150X
2153-3326
DOI:10.1017/beq.2019.29