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What role do international business norms play in regulating the behavior of firms? Despite growing acceptance of the constructivist claim that norms play an important role in international life and an increased interest in private authority by international relations (IR) scholars, surprisingly little research in the field has explored the extent or mechanisms by which norms influence the behavior of firms. I argue this oversight has more to do with the bias in political science against viewing firms as social or socializable institutions than with the applicability of constructivist theory to firms or markets. To make this argument I examine the spread of sustainability norms across transnational business networks and illustrate how theories of socialization developed by IR constructivist scholars can help explain the rapid spread of these norms and the effects they have on corporate environmental governance. The paper ends with a call for more research on the effects of international business norms and makes several suggestions for how to counteract the bias in political science against doing so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chey, Hyoung-kyu. (2012) Theories of International Currencies and the Future of the World Monetary Order. International Studies Review, doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2486.2012.01104.x The international standings of currencies form a principal characteristic of the international monetary order, shaping the world economic and political system by influencing the economic and political relationships among countries. This paper provides a systematic review of the literature on international currencies, encompassing both economics and political science, with the aim of providing useful groundwork to help develop a better analytical framework for the study of international currency standing. In particular, this paper discusses the international currency concept, the benefits and costs of issuing an international currency, and the determinants of international currency standing. It also assesses conflicting prospects for the future of the US dollar as the world's key currency, addressing the likelihoods of further internationalization of the euro and the renminbi, the dollar's main potential rivals. It in addition calls attention to certain political economy factors as salient issues for the future study of international currency standing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]