TORONTO, - Global commerce is experiencing a rapid shift from government- to private-sector standard-setting for everything from product safety and quality to corporate behavior abroad, according to a report released today by the C.D. Howe Institute. In "The New Multilateralism: The Shift to Private Global Regulation," respected trade lawyer Lawrence Herman identifies a broad shift to rulemaking by the private sector rather than governments that has accelerated since the collapse of the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations.
