Ken Abbott recently spoke about standards for international business at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany.
Abbott and his longtime co-author, Duncan Snidal, of the University of Chicago, were invited by the university's Research Center on the Transformation of the State to speak about their recent work on the role of private organizations in adopting rules or standards for international business in areas such as worker rights, human rights and environmental impact.
Abbott and Snidal also will be working with members of the Research Center on possible joint projects, including a United States-European conference.
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. He also has a faculty appointment in the ASU School of Global Studies, where he co-directs the global environmental governance program.
He is also a Faculty Fellow and Advisory Board Member of the Center for Law and Global Affairs, and a Faculty Fellow of the Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology.
Snidal is an associate professor in the Harris School of Public Policy and the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He is director of the Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security and also chair of the Committee on International Relations. His research focuses on international relations with an emphasis on political economy and institutional theory. He has worked on problems of international cooperation, including the role of international institutions such as law and formal organizations, in promoting cooperation. Snidal is currently working on questions surrounding institutional change and the transnational regulation of business firms.