This chapter problematises the notion of resilience as continuation with adaptability, suggesting that it requires specifying in advance the essential attributes of a global governance body, which would have to remain largely intact for adaptation to changing circumstance to count as resilience. The chapter therefore identifies those essential attributes for the International Electro-technical Commission (IEC). The chapter then theorises resilience of a private rule-making body as a function of its capacity and capability for autonomous agency in pursuit of its organizational self-interest, the embeddedness of the rule-making body among its stakeholders, and its leadership’s ambition to ensure the organisation’s survival. It shows that these characteristics helped the IEC to achieve resilience in the face of numerous and diverse challenges from technological changes, the emergence of competing SDOs and geopolitical changes accompanied by power transitions in the world economy, including the rise of China. The unresolved challenges of meaningful consumer participation and better gender balance in international standardization suggests, however, that past resilience is only partially predictive of future resilience.

Increasing participation of Chinese companies in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) standardization has been a frequent topic of the recent academic and policy discussions. Many Western governments and companies believe that the growing representation of Chinese companies, especially Huawei, in the leadership of Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) allows these companies to unduly influence standardization processes. Building on previous empirical studies on China’s representation in SDOs, this chapter theorizes whether, and to what extent, different institutional models of SDOs are capable of safeguarding the integrity and independence of their standardization processes and their resilience to political and commercial pressures, by studying the rules on the leadership appointments of four global SDOs. In a broader sense, our analysis sheds light on the neutrality, independence and trustworthiness of these critical institutions of global economic governance and their evolving and continuous relevance for global standardization.

This chapter conceptualizes technical standards and ICT standards, discussing their types and functions. It then introduces different types of standards development organization (SDOs), focusing in particular on competitive dynamics among standards developers. While discussing ICT standardization as a regime of private transnational governance, this chapter offers a theoretical background on non-State regulatory arrangements and explains how voluntary standards created in different types of SDOs may acquire a binding force. To that end, this chapter reviews the relevant scholarship in the field of global governance, transnational private regulation, and global administrative law, outlining the normative framework of this study.

This chapter conceptualizes technical standards and ICT standards, discussing their types and functions. It then introduces different types of standards development organization (SDOs), focusing in particular on competitive dynamics among standards developers. While discussing ICT standardization as a regime of private transnational governance, this chapter offers a theoretical background on non-State regulatory arrangements and explains how voluntary standards created in different types of SDOs may acquire a binding force. To that end, this chapter reviews the relevant scholarship in the field of global governance, transnational private regulation, and global administrative law, outlining the normative framework of this study.

This chapter provides a detailed systematic overview of the operational rules of seven prominent standards development organizations, each having a different institutional background and developing different types of ICT standards, namely: ITU; ETSI; 3GPP; IEEE; IETF; W3C; and Bluetooth SIG. Building on the previous chapter, it examines these organizations’ standards development procedures, which it divides into three stages: proposal of standardization projects, rules on contributing and voting at the meetings of technical committees, and approval of standards. It then offers comparative observations to the extent that the different institutional settings of these organizations allow.

This chapter provides a detailed systematic overview of the operational rules of seven prominent standards development organizations, each having a different institutional background and developing different types of ICT standards, namely: ITU, ETSI, 3GPP, IEEE, IETF, W3C, and Bluetooth SIG. It examines these bodies’ governance rules, such as their membership admissions, composition of decision-making bodies, policy-making processes, mechanisms for appeal and review of their officers’ decisions, and their Intellectual Property Rights policies and offers comparative observations to the extent that the different institutional settings of these organizations allow.