The Corporation as a Political Actor: Understanding corporate responsibility for the 21st century

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_6E8539643EDD
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
The Corporation as a Political Actor: Understanding corporate responsibility for the 21st century
Journal
Notizie di Politeia
Author(s)
Palazzo G.
ISSN
1128-2401
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2011
Volume
XXVII
Number
103
Pages
11-26
Language
english
Abstract
We are entering the age of involuntary transparency. This manifests in the growing pressure on corporations for the social and environmental harm happening along their production processes. If we buy a product, we often do not realize that this product might be the result of a highly complex process of division of labor: Some of the resources necessary to build the product might come from mines in Africa and the product might be assembled in a factory in China. This so-called value chain behind the product is not visible and the misery that might have been caused by the production is not visible either. Problems with water waste, emissions, extinction of species, slavery, corruption, child labor and other issues appear along the value chains of many of the products we buy, such as computers, chocolate, coffee, pharmaceuticals, clothes, flowers, cars, or jewellery. What began as a debate on direct suppliers in the early 1990s has turned into a critical debate on the complete supply chain.
In the past, corporations were held responsible for what they did themselves. Today, they are held (co-)responsible for all the (potential) problems that happen along their complete production process. Whether they own a factory or a cotton field or a flow plantation is no longer relevant. The fact that they have the power to change the misery to which they are connected is considered to be a sufficient reason to hold them responsible.
My presentation will present the current state of the art of a debate on value chain responsibility - from the resources to consumer behavior, from the factory to the complicity with repressive political structures.
Create date
27/11/2012 18:03
Last modification date
21/08/2019 6:17
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