ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the legitimacy of corporate social responsibility (CSR) norms created through public-private rule-making processes as a perception among business and other stakeholders. The procedure was acceptable in terms of being representative if not inclusive of all interests, and with the output, the resulting norms, being adopted by companies and respected by stakeholders. Drawing on the Unite Nation Global Compact and the European Union Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) as cases of public-private schemes for creating CSR norms, the chapter considers how those schemes have given business access to influence the creation and implementation of CSR norms. For the purposes of the chapter, the legitimacy provided by internationally agreed standards as normative sources of the Global Compact principles may have been as significant. The chapter contributes to understanding the potential for establishing public-private norm-creating processes at the international level and to suggest new areas of research to further illuminate the field.
