How has the regulation of business shifted from national to global institutions? What are the mechanisms of globalization? Who are the key actors? What of democratic sovereignty? In which cases has globalization been successfully resisted? These questions are confronted across an amazing sweep of the critical areas of business regulation--from contract, intellectual property and corporations law, to trade, telecommunications, labor standards, drugs, food, transport and environment. This book examines the role played by global institutions such as the World Trade Organization, World Health Organization, the OECD, IMF, Moodys and the World Bank, as well as various NGOs and significant individuals. Incorporating both history and analysis, Global Business Regulation will become the standard reference for readers in business, law, politics, and international relations.

For years, businesses have complained about the costs of regulatory compliance. On the other hand, society is becoming increasingly aware of the environmental, safety, health, financial, and other risks of business activity. Government oversight seems to be one of the answers to safeguard against these risks. But how can we deregulate and regulate without jeopardizing our public goals or acting as a brake on economic growth? Many instruments are available to assess the effects of laws regulating business, including the regulatory impact assessment (RIA), which contains cost/benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, risk analysis, and cost assessments. This book argues that public goals will be achieved more effectively if compliance costs of the enterprises are as low as possible. Highlighting examples from a wide spectrum of industries and countries, the authors propose a new kind of RIA, the business impact assessment (BIA), designed to improve both business and public policy decision making.

'Taking a broad view of regulation, and covering a wide range of issues and industries, this collection is the most innovative effort to date to understand the responses of business firms to regulation. The book brings together an impressive group of scholars who analyze the concept of compliance and offer theoretically informed studies of its assumed links to regulation. A must read for both academics and practitioners, this ground-breaking collection firmly establishes a scholarly field of compliance studies.' Ronen Shamir, Tel Aviv University, Israel 'Business responses to regulation is a key area of social science research. Parker and Nielsen's collection brings together an excellent group of scholars with innovative, and I believe highly influential contributions that problematize the relations between regulation and compliance. The collection is a highly welcome addition to our field, that will redefine the research agenda on compliance. A significant achievement that will help to improve policy making and frame the scholarly research agenda for the years to come.' David Levi-Faur, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and the Free University of Berlin, Germany 'A timely and important set of analyses on how and why businesses respond to regulation in the way that they do from some of the leading authors in the field, covering business responses to both state and non-state regulatory systems.' Julia Black, London School of Economics, UK Explaining Compliance consists of sixteen specially commissioned chapters by the world's leading empirical researchers, examining whether and how businesses comply with regulation that is designed to affect positive behaviour changes. Each chapter consists of reflective summaries on business compliance with different state or voluntary regulation, and the theoretical lessons to be drawn from it. As a whole, the book develops understanding and explanations of how, why and in what circumstances, firms come to comply with regulation, and when they do not. It also uncovers the complexity, ambiguity and transformation of regulation as it is interpreted, implemented and negotiated by firms, their stakeholders and internal constituencies in everyday business life. This unique and detailed resource will appeal to academics, graduate students and senior undergraduates in law, political science, sociology, criminology, economics, and psychology, as well as business and interdisciplinary areas such as law and society, and law and economics. Anyone researching business regulation, corporate social responsibility, regulation and compliance, enforcement and compliance, and public administration, will also find this book beneficial.

Seventeen in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 190 economies, Doing Business 2020 measures aspects of regulation affecting 10 areas of everyday business activity.

A co-publication of the World Bank, International Finance Corporation and Oxford University Press

Law, Business and Regulation: A Managerial Perspective examines the intersection, and impact, of the changing nature of business, challenges presented by increasing globalization, and the expanding impact of technology with a renewed emphasis on ethical decision making. These areas of study include constitutional law, international perspectives, contracts, business associations (partnerships, corporations and limited liability companies), antitrust law, employment law and discrimination, and intellectual property (patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets). The authors have purposefully emphasized aspects of the legal environment of business that are especially relevant for future business managers. Law, Business and Regulation: A Managerial Perspective provides managers with a framework in which they will identify, consider, and then solve practical problems in a business environment in which legal and regulatory issues have attained prominence.Law, Business and Regulation: A Managerial Perspective presents readings, materials, and case decisions that provide a basis for understanding the unique "legal vocabulary," and identifying and analyzing critical legal principles and concepts. The cases contained in this volume have been carefully selected and edited and contain questions designed to enable students to gain insights which reflect their importance in the development of the law as it relates to managerial functions. Law, Business and Regulation: A Managerial Perspective addresses selected traditional business law topics as well as those that are considered more broadly as the legal environment of business. In addition, topical ethical considerations related to the chapter materials are included. These considerations are designed to sharpen our students' appreciation for the role that ethics will play in the decision making process.

This volume assesses the achievements and limitations of a new set of non-state or multistakeholder institutions that are concerned with improving the social and environmental record of business, and holding corporations to account. It does so from a perspective that aims to address two limitations that often characterize this field of inquiry. First, fragmentation: articles or books typically focus on one or a handful of cases. Second, the development dimension: what does such regulation imply for developing countries and subaltern groups in terms of well-being, empowerment and sustainability? This volume examines more than 20 initiatives or institutions associated with different regulatory and development approaches, including the business-friendly corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda, ‘corporate accountability’ and ‘fair trade’ or social economy.

A less-expensive grayscale paperback version is available. Search for ISBN 9781680923018. Business Law I Essentials is a brief introductory textbook designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of courses on Business Law or the Legal Environment of Business. The concepts are presented in a streamlined manner, and cover the key concepts necessary to establish a strong foundation in the subject. The textbook follows a traditional approach to the study of business law. Each chapter contains learning objectives, explanatory narrative and concepts, references for further reading, and end-of-chapter questions. Business Law I Essentials may need to be supplemented with additional content, cases, or related materials, and is offered as a foundational resource that focuses on the baseline concepts, issues, and approaches.

As an experiment in reconnecting academia to the broader democracy, this work is designed to invigorate public policy debate by rededicating academic work to the pursuit of solutions to society's great problems.