This book brings together papers written by representatives from UN agencies and academics who take a fresh look at the expanding role of transnational corporations and foreign direct investment in the world economy. These papers deal with such issues as the nature and extent of globalisation, the shifting relations between transnational corporations and national economies, and the opportunities and obstacles facing policy makers in the rapidly changing global economy.
This book examines the role played by business in urban water governance by analyzing the evolution of the global private water sector along with four public-private partnerships in Mexico and the U.S. The local nature of water services often hides the global developments behind the rise of transnational water corporations, which have gone from being local operators to becoming dynamic and powerful actors within an interconnected transnational space for water. This book focuses on the French groups Veolia and Suez, two of the most prominent private actors in global water governance, and the development and adaptation strategies of both companies in the cities of Aguascalientes, Mexico City, Atlanta, and Milwaukee over the past 30 years. Drawing on over 100 interviews conducted with corporate executives, public authorities, and local users of water services, this book moves beyond the simplistic dichotomy of the public-private debate and develops a theoretical framework that analyzes the economic and political power wielded by transnational business actors in global water governance. Not only does the book explain how Veolia and Suez strategically mobilize resources at difference scales in order to expand their global operations, but it also provides a nuanced picture of how state regulation remains of central importance to understanding the dynamics and evolution of the global water sector. Students and scholars interested in business and the environment, including public-private partnerships, business management and transnational corporations, and water governance, will find this book of great interest as will professionals and policymakers working in these fields.
Having undertaken billions of FDI in many continents and nations, between Argentina and the PRC, I consider Dr Sauvant s book an eye-opener, a new page, showing us a new super highway. The OFDI volume of emerging markets today, surpassing the entire FDI volume of not even 20 years back, is a signal of success of the free market economy. It signals also the end of privileges for the Europeans. It reflects entrepreneurship at its best on the part of the fast developing nations of Asia. It shows that free access to know how and capital has permitted Asia to catch up at an unprecedented speed. Contrary to often repeated but wrong opinions, the poor of the world have benefited the most by globalization. A market place of unimaginable potential is under construction in the first half of the 21st century, accelerated by FDI. This book should find many readers, particularly among the political leaders of today and tomorrow. Carl H. Hahn, Chairman Emeritus of Volkswagen AG This comprehensive analysis deals with the range of issues raised by the rise of transnational corporations from emerging markets. This insightful book shows that foreign direct investment (FDI) from emerging markets has grown from negligible amounts in the early 1980s to $210 billion in 2007, with the stock of investment now being well over $1 trillion. This reflects the rise of firms from these economies to become important players in the world FDI market. The contributors to this book comprehensively analyze the rise of emerging market TNCs, the salient features of the transnational activities of these firms, the relationship of outward FDI and the competitiveness of the firms involved, their impact on host and home countries and implications for the international law and policy system. The subject of this study is both topical and important and poses a number of challenges that will require considerable policy attention in the future. It will appeal to academics interested in FDI as well as emerging markets. Karl P. Sauvant has gathered together a group of leading academics that makes this an informative and valuable read for anyone interested in the subject, including academics, students at all levels and private sector entities, as well as government officials dealing with outward FDI.
This well-documented work will appeal to corporate leaders interested in understanding the related practicalities of international corporate liability as well as post-graduate students in international business and international policy studies. Policymakers, academics and researchers interested in a unique perspective on the future of the global corporation as an internationally responsible global citizen will find much to inte rest them in this book.
The United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations (UNCTC) was established in 1975 and abolished in 1992. It was an early effort by the UN to address the overlapping issues of national sovereignty, corporate responsibility and global governance. These issues have since multiplied and deepened with globalization. This book recounts the UNCTC experience and its lessons for international organizations. This book is not only an insider perspective by two former staff but also a collective memoir of the UNCTC as an international organization that attempted with varying success to defuse the clash between corporates and states that erupted in the turbulent 1970s. This personal account of the UNCTC is a mixture of history, analysis, reflections, and critical commentaries, told in different voices that penetrate the bland persona of international civil service. In this retelling, the authors seek to address misconceptions amongst the more general literature and to seek to provide accounts of both its positive and negative features. The UNCTC experience recounted in this book holds valuable lessons for international organization and will be of interest to student, scholars and practitioners alike.
Transnational corporations are one of the most important actors in the global economy, occupying a more powerful position than ever before. In their persistent battle to increase profits, they have increasingly turned to the developing world, a world that holds many attractions for them. But what is their impact on the poor? Now in its second edition, Big Business, Poor Peoples finds that these corporations are damaging the lives of millions of poor people in developing countries. Looking at every sector where transnational corporations are involved, this vital book is packed with detail on how the poor are affected. The book exposes how developing countries' natural resources are being ceded to TNCs and how governments are unwilling or unable to control them. The author argues that TNCs, answerable to no one but their shareholders, have used their money, size and power to influence international negotiations and taken full advantage of the move towards privatization to influence government policies; sovereignty is passing into corporate hands, and the poor are paying the price. But people are fighting back: citizens, workers, and communities are exposing the corporations and looking for alternatives. The first edition of this path-breaking book put the issue of transnational corporations and the poor firmly on the agenda. This second edition contains significant new and updated material and is an essential read for anyone who wants to know more about the effects of corporate power on the poor.
This comprehensive textbook deals with the basic concepts relating to transnational companies and their activities. Specific chapters deal with a broad range of authors and theories, and the latter part of the text deals with methodological issues.
This volume offers a wide-reaching exploration of foreign direct investment and developmental impacts through case studies from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Central Europe, also examining the role of 'new players' such as Chinese, Indian and South African TNCs.
