This Special Issue of Business History Review, guest-edited by JoAnne Yates of MIT and Craig N. Murphy of Wellesley, explores the important, yet understudied, subject, “Standards and the Global Economy.” Following an overview and introduction by the guest editors, the issue contains five essays covering the history of the metric system in Brazil and in the U.S., the rise of CE Marking in the European Market, the introduction of standards at internetworking computer companies, and safety standards at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The articles introduce a range of themes, from the role of standards in promoting industrialization and international trade, the place of private companies and government bodies in advocating for (and sometimes against) standards, and the centrality of standards in industries from IT to food. Together the articles reveal the primary role of standards in the emergence of modern capitalism and the many ways standards enable and support the global economy.