Introduction – Regulating Private Regulators: Understanding the Role of Private Law

Abstract

This article frames the analysis conducted by the authors in this Special Issue on the influence and control of private law over the ways in which private, non-state actors pursue regulatory functions. It offers a dense and substantive introduction to the analysis, and the key assumptions and concepts underlying it. Accordingly, the article’s purpose is to contextualise the research questions that are addressed by the authors, along with the forecasting of conclusions that follow from their contributions jointly.

Keywords: Private regulation, contract law, tort law, standardization, certification, corporate social responsibility