Edwin Mujih explores the difficulties associated with regulating multinational companies operating in developing countries, with a particular focus on extractive industries. The author highlights the need to establish an international legally binding framework to ensure that multinationals operate in a socially responsible manner to protect local communities and the environment. Edwin Mujih’s analysis reveals that the existing mechanisms for controlling the behaviour of huge multinational entities are of normative force only, that these are particularly inadequate, and that the notion of corporate social responsibility is only meaningful where behaviour can be legally regulated. Regulating Multinationals in Developing Countries features a study of the Chad and Cameroon Oil and pipeline project, which highlights the problems arising in countries that have neither the capacity nor the will to effectively regulate those operating within their borders. The author has evaluated compliance by the parties with their social and environmental obligations. He has found that, despite controversy surrounding inadequate regulation of this project in its incipient stages, the system that was put in place following huge opposition from the affected communities and from NGOs is worthy of attention and could stand as a model for similar projects elsewhere. This first title in Gower's Corporate Social Responsibility Series to approach CSR from a legal perspective provides insight not just into the complexity surrounding efforts to regulate multinationals operating in countries with weak regulatory regimes, but also into the fundamental nature of multinational corporations and the debate about different notions of CSR itself.

As companies 'go global' they increasingly use factories and facilities spread across the world. But who regulates their activities in far flung corners of the world economy? In many sectors such as textiles and apparel, chemicals, and forestry, the answer is that companies regulate their own behaviour through codes and standards which they agree among themselves. The recent growth in corporate self-regulation of labour, environmental and financial practices has attracted the attention of scholars who have detailed the number and content of self-regulatory efforts in various sectors. Missing so far, however, has been an analysis of the effectiveness and impact of self-regulation. Does self-regulation actually work and under what conditions is it most likely to be effective? The answer to this question is particularly important for developing countries where corporate self-regulation is often seen as substitute for weak governance structures. The chapters in this volume evaluate the effectiveness of self-regulation compared to other forms of global regulation. Across sectors and states, corporate self-regulation works best when those who are regulated have a voice in deciding the content of codes and standards and when some mechanism of compliance exists at the level of the state. Unfortunately, opportunities for voice and state capacity for regulation are often lacking in developing countries. Given this, the book suggests some minimal forms of government action and participation by global actors that can make global corporate self-regulation more effective in bettering conditions in the developing world.

The globalisation of financial markets has attracted much academic and policymaking commentary in recent years, especially with the growing number of banking and financial crises and the current credit crisis that has threatened the stability of the global financial system. This major new Research Handbook sets out to address some of the fundamental issues in financial regulation from a comparative and international perspective and to identify some of the main research themes and approaches that combine economic, legal and institutional analysis of financial markets. Specially commissioned contributions represent diverse viewpoints on the financial regulation debate and cover a number of new and controversial topics not yet adequately addressed in the literature. Specifically, these include; financial innovation particularly in the context of the credit risk transfer market, securitization and the systemic importance of the over-the-counter trading markets; the institutional structure of international financial regulation; and risk management and corporate governance of financial institutions. This Handbook will provide a unique and fully up-to-date resource for all those with an interest in this critical issue including academic researchers in finance and regulation, practitioners working in the industry and those involved with regulation and policy.

"This book explores the evolving role of international law in directing and controlling the conduct of business enterprises, in particular multinational corporations, with respect to the protection of the environment, the sustainable use of natural resources, and the respect of inter-related human rights. It assesses the progress and continuing limitations in the identification of international standards of corporate environmental accountability and responsibility, and their implementation by international organizations. This assessment shows the extent to which the international community has conceptually and operationally clarified its expectations about acceptable corporate conduct. This second edition of Elisa Morgera's book reflects the intensified convergence of international standard-setting efforts on corporate environmental accountability, with parallel international developments on business and human rights and the environment. It also explores the recent emergence of substantive international standards of corporate environmental responsibility, which have arisen from a growing number of sectoral guidelines. Equally, it points to the remaining divergences in the content of international standards of corporate environmental accountability and responsibility, which reflect differing views among States of their international obligations to ensure the protection of the environment and the respect of human rights.?--Provided by publisher.

This book considers the legal control of multinational corporations (MNCs) for violations of human rights from a developing country’s perspective, examining the role for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in regulating the conduct of MNCs. The book uses the case study of Nigeria which is host to major MNCs from the EU and the US, to show that the CSR concept is currently insufficient to deal with externalities emanating from MNCs‘ operations including human rights violations. The book goes on to argue that whilst control of MNCs involves regulation at the international level, more emphasis needs to be placed on possibilities at home States and host States where there are stronger bases for the control of corporations. It examines possibilities in the European Union, exploring ways in which the EU can ensure that MNCs from its territory do not violate human rights when operating abroad.

Despite the existence of a wide range of human rights instruments and procedures, human rights violations still abound. The authors of this book address this so-called human rights deficit, and the possible responses to it, from various disciplinary angles and mostly in the context of development. They explore the reasons for the continuation of economic, social and/or political exclusion and human rights violations at large. They also present keys for redressing the human rights deficit. The role of law, and questions of universality, inclusion and exclusion are central themes in this book. The need to take up civil and political rights and economic social and cultural rights on equal footing is recognized by several of the authors, and so is that of bridging the public-private divide. Specific contributions address among others the importance of human rights training and education, the role of NGO's in a globalizing world, minorities, gender and women's rights, accountability of multinational corporations, and the problem of human trafficking.

How do markets work? This reader introduces the student to the workings of the market, explaining both the reasons for its success and its shortcomings. Throughout, the text encourages a critical approach demonstrating the diversity of market economies. In particular it explores: the social nature of market economies the range of approaches to the study of the market: Marxist, Austrian, Keynesian and institutional economics are discussed as alternatives to the neo-classical mainstream the differences between Anglo-American, European and Asian economic models the historical development of markets globalisation: its extent and its impact the costs and the benefits of markets With chapters by Will Hutton, John Gray and Eric Hobsbawm, this reader provides an excellent introduction.

This title was first published in 2002: After the failure of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), the world does not have a global investment agreement that would regulate FDI. A global investment agreement dealing with FDI would clearly fill a large gap in the network of regulatory measures governing the world economy. Other attempts had been made prior to the MAI to address this problem, but all have failed so far. The main reason for such failures has always been the lack of compromise in the positions held by the major stakeholders. This book analyses the pros and cons of these opposing positions and uses them as a basis for forging a hybrid model called "Regulated Openness".

This title was first published in 2002. Debates about the desirability, feasibility and appropriate form of international economic regulation are now a heavily contested domain. This selection of recently published essays reflects the diversity of perspectives that are shaping the scope and direction of the debates, from legal formalism and law and economics, to Third World legal theories and other critical perspectives.