Intergovernmental institutions, transnational corporations and the modern paradigm: The reflexive possibilities of transnational legal pluralism for sustainable development

State-based institutions and transnational corporations are the foundational ordering mechanisms of modern society. While the modern era has seen a formidable increase in economic prosperity, there are now strong indications that it is neither socially nor ecologically sustainable. Indeed, for many it is inherently unsustainable, as evidenced by the now long-standing inability of state-based institutions to effectively control the environmentally devastating consequences of transnational commercial enterprise. It is the purpose of this thesis to explore the merits of such claims. In so doing, this thesis seeks to unfold the basic assumptions and purposes of these foundational institutions of modern society, to explore the complexities of the problems they raise, and to analyze what hope recent intergovernmental initiatives to regulate transnational corporations have to offer. Drawing from reflexive legal theory, it argues that recent intergovernmental initiatives are showing much needed signs of encouragement. Ultimately, however, just how encouraging they may be depends upon the robust and coordinated participation of civil society in constructively engaging intergovernmental institutions and transnational corporations to help bring about the conditions of a more sustainable global society.