Calculating The Social: Standards And The Reconfiguration Of Governing

Standards Are An Increasingly Powerful Mechanism For The Governing Of Economic, Political And Social Life. Yet There Has Been Little Sustained Attention By Social Scientists To How Standards And Standardizing Projects Are Articulated And Rendered Workable In Practice. This Innovative Book Is The First Of Its Kind To Examine The Dynamics Of Standardization Work, And The Objects, Subjects And Forms Of Governing To Which This Gives Rise. Drawing Upon Post-realist Approaches Of Governmentality And Actor Network Theory, Contributors Provide Detailed Case Studies Which Highlight How Standards Configure, And Are Configured Through, Local Practices; The Complexity Of Standardizing Processes Which Contribute To Harmonization At The Same Time As Creating Distinction And Difference; And, The New Forms Of Identity, Subjectivity And Social Organization That Emerge Through Standardizing Work. Standards And Standardization As A Social Science Problem / V. Higgins And W. Larner -- Calculating Hybrids / P. Miller, L. Kurunmaki And T.o'leary -- Gendering Codes Of Conduct: Chiquita Bananas And Nicaraguan Women Workers / M. Prieto-carron And W. Larner -- The Practice Of Third Party Certification: Enhancing Environmental Sustainability And Social Justice In The Global South? / C. Bain And M. Hatanaka -- E-government And The Production Of Standardized Individuality / P. Henman And M. Dean -- The Standardizing Of Nursing Competencies / A. Dugdale And L. Grealish -- Industry Analysts And The Labour Of Comparison / N. Pollock -- Sticking Plasters And The Standardizations Of Everyday Life / M. Michael -- Local Experiments With Global Certificates: How Russian Software Testers Are Inventing Themselves As A Profession / M. Feakins -- Adapting Standards: The Case Of Environmental Management Systems In Australia / V. Higgins, J. Dibden And C. Cocklin -- Standards, Orphan Drugs, And Pharmaceutical Markets / C. Novas -- From Standardization To Standardizing Work / V. Higgins And W. Larner. Edited By Vaughan Higgins And Wendy Larner. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.