The International Legal Form and Status of Informal International Lawmaking Bodies: Consequences for Accountability

Informal lawmaking is characterized by an involvement of non-traditional actors. This chapter analyses actor informality by looking at two key forms: 'international agencies' and 'harmonization networks'. International agencies are international bodies that are based on a decision by an international governmental organization. Harmonization networks are international networks of national public regulatory authorities that are in the business of harmonizing their rules or setting standards or other norms. The purpose of the chapter is to define the status of bodies involved in informal international lawmaking (IN-LAW) and to argue why clarity about legal status is important in relation to the question of accountability.