He has a longstanding research interest in private governance via standards, certification and labelling which he has investigated in forestry, fisheries and agriculture contexts. Recent books include Setting the Standard (2008, with Chris Tollefson and David Haley), Global Commodity Governance (2011, with Marcus Haward) and Pulp Friction in Tasmania (2011). He is currently in the latter stages of writing a theoretical book, The Political Economy of Sustainability, which is forthcoming with Edward Elgar.