International Organizations and International Regulatory Cooperation : Exploring the Links
This paper, a contribution to an OECD research project, outlines recent trends in international regulatory cooperation (IRC), the roles that international organizations (IOs) play in IRC, and how we might assess the effects of IO involvement. The trends are clear and striking: there has been an explosion of IRC, including diverse forms of international rule-making that often involve IOs; as a result, many issue areas now feature multiple organizations engaged in IRC, including international, transgovernmental and transnational institutions. However, we know far too little about the precise roles that IOs play, as forums and as standard-setters, and especially about the outcomes and impacts of IRC efforts within IOs. The paper reviews these issues and considers approaches for enhancing our understanding of IO participation in IRC