An important read for academics and policy-makers alike, Hard Choices, Soft Law asserts that voluntary standards, or 'soft' law, are an important supplement to international law in a number of areas.

Contents: Introduction: hard choices and soft law in sustainable global governance, John J. Kirton and Michael J. Trebilcock. Setting Standards for Sustainable Forestry: Nonstate global governance: is forest certification a legitimate alternative to a global forest convention?, Steven Bernstein and Benjamin Cashore; The Forest Stewardship Council: a developing country perspective, Tasso Rezende de Azevedo; Indigenous rights and forest certification in British Columbia, Chris Tollefson. Setting Standards for Labour: Codes of corporate conduct and the labour regulatory state in developing countries, Adelle Blackett; Standard setting at the International Labour Organization: the case of precarious employment, Leah F. Vosko; Hard law or soft law: India and international labour standards, C.S. Venkata Ratnam and Anil Verma; Trade policy and labour standards: objectives, instruments and institutions, Michael J. Trebilcock. Creating Codes of Corporate Responsibility: Corporate social responsibility and the evolution of international norms, Hevina S. Dashwood; The role of nongovernmental organizations and social movements in developing countries, John W. Foster; Multinational corporations, globalization and the challenge of self-regulation, Wesley Cragg; Canadian corporate responsibility in Sudan: why Canada backed down, Robert O. Matthews. International Institutions and Soft Law: The World Trade Organization, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the challenge of sustainable development, Thomas A. Hockin; Integrating environment and labour into the World Trade Organization, Roy MacLaren; The future of the world trading system: beyond Doha, Sylvia Ostry; Enhancing global governance: corporate social responsibility and the international trade and investment framework, Christopher Wilkie; A corporate perspective on globalization, sustainable development and soft law, Michael E. Cloghesy; Terminating agricultural biotechnology? Hard law, voluntary measures and the life sciences industry, Lisa N. Mills; Hard and soft law in international institutions: complements, not alternatives, Nicholas Bayne; Bibliography; Index.