Are corporations political or economic actors
It's an important question to ask when thinking about the interaction of corporations, private actors, and states or organizations, public actors. Professor Jackson talks about this interaction, but here is a piece that in my mind needs addressing that I think is missing in the readings and the lecture about corporations: their inherently political nature.
Corporations exist almost solely for the purpose acquiring money. This point cannot be argued. What I feel is overlooked, however, is the means by which corporations, contending with political actors on an international scale, go about achieving their ends. Some would argue that corporations are primarily economic actors and I cannot stress enough how incorrect that assertion is. When corporations grow beyond the borders of a single state they inherently become political. In order to continue maximizing profits in the international realm inherently means acquiring political power. Corporations simply cannot conduct operations without interacting with political bodies. Therefore it is by necessity that these corporations are not just economic actors, but also political actors.
This is an important point to underscore especially when discussing the accountability of corporations vs states. Corporations are less constrained than many states because they are not accountable to anyone but their shareholders and the law. As long as corporations don't carry out heinous breaches of human rights or break international laws, shareholders are more than content if the money flows in. Because they are unconstrained and can essentially go where states cannot, coporations should be considered very potent political actors, as well.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with your assertion that corporations are potent actors on the world stage but i'm curious as to how this has happened recently.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a trend to increasingly political corporations.
There are several articles out there addressing how millenials are shaping new trends in business. They aren't seeking higher paying jobs but are looking for jobs with meaning. They look for jobs with work life balance with moral codes. I think this shift toward corporations with moral codes is forcing companies to take an increasing stance on social justice. As these corporations create stronger ethics codes they effectively become their own mini government within the state.
Corporations are also not bound solely by a state so they have a very interesting power to extend their influence in ways that can considerably challenge the solid nation state. This lack of boundaries is certainly aided by technological advances.
I think an increasingly educate, socially minded, and technologically advanced public is pushing the envelope to create this new actor on the global stage