Multinational Corporations and Global Justice ─ Human Rights Obligations of a Quasi-Governmental Institution

Wettstein (ethics and business law, U. of St. Thomas) addresses the normative obligations of multinational corporations within a framework of rights-based global justice. After setting out his theory of rights-based global justice and assessing the means of determining the normative agents of justice based on concepts of power and authority, he puts forth a case for understanding multinational corporations as quasi-governmental organizations that have gained political power, especially during the neoliberal era, and therefore have assumed normative obligations towards justice. He elaborates these obligations and contrasts his approach to three current approaches to interpreting corporate responsibilities: the neoclassical business model, conventional concepts of corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship, and the current debate on business and human rights. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)