Description
The book discusses standards and standardization as a form of regulation. The authors argue that standards enable a higher degree of global order.
In the modern world there is no shortage of people who know what is best for others. Self-appointed experts, consultants, and organizations try to convince states, corporations, and individuals that they would be better off if they only followed some specific rules about what to do. There are experts in almost every field of human activity, from the management of companies to the management of our own health. Even organizations as powerful as states and large corporations follow rules provided by others on how to organize, which policies to pursue, what kinds of services to provide, or how their products should be designed. These rules are presented as being voluntary and advisory. They are standards, not mandatory directives, and in modern life standards abound. They may concern what characteristics a telephone should have, how a company should report its financial transactions, how contracts should be worded, what structure an organization should have, how children should be brought up and educated, how to play tennis, and so forth This book discusses standards and standardization as a form of regulation. The authors argue that standards enable a higher degree of global order Review: Takes an unusualand refreshing approach towards standards and their role in the world ... A World of Standards widens the discussion in the field of standardization, and can be recommended for anyone interested in this area. Organization Studies The authors do a masterful job of highlighting why the study of standardization merits research attention ... this is a valuable book that will guide many future empirical studies. American Journal of Sociology
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