Introduction: Networks and networked governance

A much-discussed feature of the emerging global legal order has been the proliferation of so-called transnational regulatory networks. These new institutional forms consist of routinized, purposive interaction between diverse actors that share a common sphere of expertise. Such networks are of different types, some involving cooperation between public bodies, others entailing interaction between public, private and quasi-public institutional actors. These networks perform diverse functions: e.g. ‘enforcement networks’, designed to make enforcement more efficient across international borders; ‘information networks’ aimed at promoting information exchange; and, ‘harmonization networks’ setting standards and seeking uniformity in substantive and procedural normative standards.