The Effects of Soft Law and Its Mechanism to Affect Domestic Policies

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23530049
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: International law
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: NAIKI Yoshiko 大阪大学, 国際公共政策研究科, 准教授 (90313064)
• Project Period (FY): 2011 – 2014
• Keywords: ソフト・ロー / ソフト・ガバナンス / 私的アクター / 政策拡散 / 農業生産工程管理

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research addresses the effects of soft law and examines its mechanism to affect domestic policies and laws. The research consists of (1) building a theoretical framework on the analysis of soft law and (2) conducting empirical research that traces how soft law actually influences and brings changes in domestic policies and laws.
In the theoretical framework, IR theories of "legalization" and "new modes of governance" had important implications on the functions and roles of soft law. The empirical research part took up the case of GLOBALG.A.P., one of the private food safety standards. The research analyzed how GLOBALG.A.P., originated from Europe, proliferated and internalized (effectively or not) in Japan, the US, and Thailand.

Free Research Field

国際法