Navigating Populism: A Study of How German and Swedish Corporations Articulate the Refugee Situation in 2015–2016

To study how populist sentiments have increasingly influenced businesses in society, we examine how German and Swedish corporations addressed the refugee situation in their 2015 and 2016 annual reports. We find that corporations changed their communication once refugee migration became subjected to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Business & society 2024-02, Vol.63 (2), p.341-372
Main Authors: Johnsen, Christian Garmann, Larsson-Olaison, Ulf, Olasion, Lena, Weber, Florian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Borders
Companies
corporate reporting
discourse analysis
Economic factors
Foreign aid
Migration
Political factors
politics
Populism
refugee crisis
Refugees
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Summary:To study how populist sentiments have increasingly influenced businesses in society, we examine how German and Swedish corporations addressed the refugee situation in their 2015 and 2016 annual reports. We find that corporations changed their communication once refugee migration became subjected to populist political sentiments, but that they did so without subscribing to those sentiments. Although populism is based on such sharp oppositions as welcoming refugees or closing borders, our analysis shows that corporations have found ways to communicate about the refugee migration beyond these oppositions. Rather than taking a political stance, the corporations studied have primarily articulated the refugee situation as it pertains to their business operations. We identify four modes of articulation: the refugee as someone needing international aid, as a factor for economic analysis, as a benefit recipient, or as a potential stakeholder. These findings help nuance our understanding of how corporations navigate contested political issues.
ISSN:0007-6503
1552-4205
1552-4205
DOI:10.1177/00076503231202020