In this research project, we have aimed to map the network of actors and tools involved in defining and resolving an emerging social problem: the problem of labor standards in the electronics industry in China and Taiwan. Our central research question was: how do public and private players active in the definition and resolution of this problem cooperate and/or compete, and what effects does this have on labor standards in this sector?

Our research identifies a “governance arena” structured by competition between key players (governments, corporations and NGOs) to occupy the moral high ground. This governance arena is not functionally integrated, as hypothesized by Abbott & Snidal’s (2009) model of the “governance triangle”. Rather, it is characterized by a blend of competitive and cooperative activities between key plays seeking reputational, social and economic capital in this “market for virtue” (Vogel 2005). Furthermore, though dynamic and frequently well intentioned, the many activities that this competition for reputation produces do not significantly affect working conditions in the electronics sector, nor do they reliably provide Chinese workers with the tools necessary to assert their own rights. They do, however, produce other effects, such as providing new management tools for brands to exert pressure on their suppliers and propagating notions of personal responsibility and development through “capacity building” programs in the area of workers’ rights. They also provide a new arena for public debate on the question of labor standards in this industry, incorporating a broad range of actors and raising important new challenges.