Business, Politics and Public Policy: Implications for Inclusive Development

Globalization and liberalization have profoundly altered power relations, institutional arrangements and business strategies that historically engaged business as a partner in social development. In today’s developing and transitional economies, can we expect organized business interests to support social and other public policies conducive to inclusive development? Does the rise of big business facilitate or undermine this objective? Through conceptual and historical analysis, as well as case studies from Brazil, Chile, India, Mexico, Peru, Russia and South Africa, this collection examines the predominant means by which corporate interests directly and indirectly influence social, labour market and development policy, the reasons for their positions and the scope of their influence.

This is a farsighted and agenda-setting volume that provides both rich, insightful case studies and an overarching and integrating theoretical framework for understanding business engagement in policy making. It is important reading for scholars of policy making and business as well as anyone concerned with promoting social welfare and equality. Ben Ross Schneider, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Examining the relationship between large firms and government in developing and transition countries, this volume avoids the simplicities of much debate on globalization and development. The contributions demonstrate how, under appropriate conditions, the inevitable political influence of large firms can be prevented from undermining inclusive development. Business, Politics and Public Policy shows that UNRISD is an international leader in the analysis and empirics of the impact of corporate social responsibility. E.V.K. FitzGerald, University of Oxford, UK

To view the full Introduction select Additional Information on the right.


Table of Contents:

Introduction:Understanding Business Power and Public Policy in a Development Context; J.C.Marques & P.Utting
Organized Business and Social Policy in Comparative Perspective; J.C.Marques
Business Power, Social Policy Preferences and Development; K.Farnsworth
Liberalization, Business-State Relations and Labour Policy in India; K.Murali
Business Participation in Free Trade Negotiations in Chile: Impacts on Environmental and Labour Regulation; B.Bull
Business, Politics and Free Trade Negotiations in Nicaragua: Who Were the Winners and Losers?; G.Carrión
Corporate Lobbying and Corporate Social Responsibility: Aligning Contradictory Agendas; B.Slob& F.Weyzig
Corporative Rents and the Capture of the Peruvian State; F.Durand
The Ascent of Business Associations in Russia: From Capture to Partnership?; D.O'Brien
Lobbying to Reduce the 'Brazil Cost': The Political Strategies of Brazilian Entrepreneurs; W.P.Mancuso
Government-Industry Partnership in South Africa: Social Bias in the Automotive Industry; M.Kaggwa
New Standards and Partnerships in Latin America: Implications for Small Producers and State Policy; P.Perez-Aleman