Global Business and Global Justice

Abstract

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) represent important actors in the global economy. Yet from the perspective of global justice, relatively little has been said about what is required of them. On the one hand, theories of global justice tend to focus on the responsibilities of states and societies or the individual members of states and societies. On the other hand, theories of corporate responsibility tend not to make reference to theories of justice in examining the responsibilities of business enterprises. This chapter aims to close this gap in the literature by evaluating the plausibility of answers that may be given, from the perspective of justice, to one of the most challenging questions regarding the responsibilities of MNEs. That question is whether there is a moral responsibility on the part of MNEs headquartered in developed economies to help improve the situation of citizens in developing economies, even if this comes at some expense to long-run profitability.