Transnational corporations : impediments or catalysts of social development? / by Eric Kolodner.

November 1994.

“UNRISD

OP

94

5”.

“Includes bibliography”—(p. 47-51).

“World Summit for Social Development”—at head of title.

Contents: Introduction—Part 1 : the role of TNCs in social development—Part 2 : rights and responsibilities of transnational corporations—Part 3 : institutional arrangements and pressures to foster transnational corporate responsibility—Conclusion—Notes—Bibliography.

Summary: “The era of the transnational corporation has clearly arrived. As national governments increasingly lose power to these global economic entities and as the free-market ideology becomes even more predominant, TNCs remain some of the most powerful economic, social and political agents in the world. The expanding array of global opportunities for transnational corporations to transfer money, capital and technology around the world renders more difficult the reconciliation of the long-term public interest with short-term TNC interests. Furthermore, the increased leverage of transnational corporations has allowed them occasionally to play nations and communities off against one another in an effort to receive the most advantageous benefit package, a dynamic that generates a “downward harmonization” of labour, consumer and environmental standards”—(p. 38).