Waiting for the Mountain to Move: The Role of Multinational Corporations in the Quest for Global Justice

The significance of multinationals in shaping globalization is largely undisputed. This paper argues that any agent of substantial change should, at the same time, be an agent of justice. However, while multinational companies have played instrumental roles in shaping the world in the past, they have done so with seemingly little genuine concern for the systematic advancement of global justice. Granted that the corporate social responsibility movement is still making strides, but it arguably only scratches the surface of a more holistic understanding of corporations as agents of justice. An understanding of corporations as agents of justice crystallizes around their impact on the structure of society. In other words, a perspective on justice addresses the political role and stature of multinational companies. It is, fundamentally, about corporate power and influence - and about the political responsibilities that are inevitably connected to it.