Private meta-governors and their practices: an inventory of their mechanisms of change

This paper analyses the promise of private meta-governors to bring more cohesion into specific issue fields. A framework is presented with potential meta-governance mechanisms of change. These are confronted with the practices of three governance arrangements that have the ambition to become a key actor for the advancement of sustainable production in a global value chain: the sustainable fisheries partnership, the Common Code for Coffee Community Association and the World Cocoa Foundation. Although the case studies demonstrate that the mechanisms for change are used in different ways and to varying degrees, the private uptake of meta-governance mechanisms for change particularly relates to networking and capacity building. These are mostly geared towards process management strategies, activating actors and resources, and arranging and facilitating interactions amongst stakeholders. Meta-governors can be strengthened in their efforts to frame the global sustainability discourse and mainstreaming of sustainability goals.