ABSTRACT
A major focus of the current discussions in International Relations (IR) research about new forms of governance beyond the state (Brozus et al. 2003; Wolf 2006, 2008; Zürn 1998) lies on the role of non-state actors, their changing relationships with public actors and the conditions under which transnational corporations (TNCs), in particular, are gaining political authority (Cutler et al. 1999; Haufler 2001). In fact, global governance researchers have already discovered TNCs as potent partners for solving collective action problems that call for the extension of traditional public policy approaches beyond the state realm (Higgott et al. 2000; Reinicke 1998; Reinicke and Deng 2000).
