Post-Westphalia and Its Discontents: Business, Globalization, and Human Rights in Political and Moral Perspective

This article examines the presuppositions and theoretical frameworks of the "new-wave" "Post-Westphalian" approach to international business ethics and compares it to the more philosophically oriented moral theory approach that has predominated in the field. I contrast one author...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Business ethics quarterly 2010-04, Vol.20 (2), p.285-297
Main Author: Santoro, Michael A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business ethics
Complicity
Corporate governance
Corporate responsibility
Corporations
Economic relations
Ethics
Globalization
Governance
Human rights
Human rights violations
International business enterprises
Morality
Multinational corporations
Responses to BEQ's Special Issue on the Changing Role of Business in Global Society
Social responsibility
Studies
Transnationalism
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Summary:This article examines the presuppositions and theoretical frameworks of the "new-wave" "Post-Westphalian" approach to international business ethics and compares it to the more philosophically oriented moral theory approach that has predominated in the field. I contrast one author's Post-Westphalian political approach to the human rights responsibilities of transnational corporations (TNCs) with my own "Fair Share" theory of moral responsibility for human rights. I suggest how the debate about the meaning of corporate human rights "complicity" might be informed by the fair share theory. While I point out that Post-Westphalians and moral philosophers may have fundamental disagreements about basic concepts such as legitimacy, justice, and democratic deliberation, I conclude that the Post-Westphalians have made a major contribution to the expansion of the field by presenting business ethicists with an opportunity to inform and guide debates about the potential future course of transnational governance.
ISSN:1052-150X
2153-3326
DOI:10.5840/beq201020221