Legitimacy and standard development in multi-stakeholder initiatives: a case study of the Leonardo Academy's sustainable agriculture standard initiative.

Abstract

Non-state, market-driven forms of governance, especially those that use multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs), have become a prominent mechanism for regulating food and agriculture. While the standards generated by MSIs and their implementation have been studied widely, the internal practices of MSIs have re- ceived less attention. This article addresses this research gap using a case study of the Leonardo Academy's sustainable agriculture standard initiative. Specifically, the focus is on the relationship between the standard-development process and legitimacy. Using a framework that conceptualizes legitimacy in MSIs as consist- ing of three interrelated processes - input, procedural, and output - we examine: 1. how the practices of the standard-development process affect the legitimacy of the Leonardo Academy's sustainable agriculture standard initiative, and 2. how the quest for legitimacy affects the initiative. In conclusion, we contend that in - put, procedural, and output legitimacy may not always positively correlate, that legitimacy is best understood as relational, and that legitimacy in MSIs is per- formative.