Kenneth Abbott

Professor Kenneth Abbott, a Willard H. Pedrick Distinguished Research Scholar, recently took part in a conference on the large number of private and hybrid public-private organizations attempting to “regulate” business internationally through voluntary standards. Abbott helped organize the conference, which was held at the European University Institute in Florence, and funded, in part, by the College of Law.

Conference participants discussed everything from accounting and financial standards to food safety to worker rights and sustainability. They explored how these organizations interact, both with one another and with traditional regulators in national governments and international organizations.

About 30 scholars from the United States, Canada and several European countries attended, as well as representatives of several international organizations, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and International Organization for Standardization.

The group received a grant from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to create a global scholarly network focusing on this kind of regulation. The conference was part of the program, and set a research agenda for the coming years of the grant.

Abbott is also a Faculty Fellow in the College of Law’s Center for Law, Science & Innovation, a member of the advisory board of the Center for Law and Global Affairs, and a Professor of Global Studies at ASU’s School of Politics and Global Studies, where he co-directs the global environmental governance program.

A leading scholar in international law, Abbott’s teaching and research focus on the interdisciplinary study of international law and international relations, including public and private institutions, environmental issues, development policy, global health, and international trade and economic law.