The Standardization of Standardization: The Search for Order in Complex Systems

Abstract

This dissertation examines the patterns of institutional change associated with globalization from the perspective of standard-setting institutions: Has globalization resulted in convergence or divergence of the institutional structure of standard-setting processes? Furthermore, what forces or conditions of the globalization experience have accounted for observed episodes of convergence or divergence and how have the institutional structures of standard-setting responded to the pressures of globalization since the late 19th century?