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Geoffrey Jones and Sabine Pitteloud present the latest research on the global history of multinationals and their impact on society and the environment. Bringing together leading international scholars, these essays survey key themes in our relationship with multinationals, from taxation and corruption to gender and the climate. Though often associated with large corporations like Apple or Nestlé, the contributors highlight the remarkable diversity in multinational strategies and organizational structures. They challenge the idea of an inescapable rise of multinationals by looking beyond the experience of Western countries and considering the effects of dramatic political shifts. Multinationals have often acted opportunistically, with their resilience carrying social costs through the exploitation of weak regulations, corrupt governments, inequalities, poor human rights, and environmental harm. This is an essential introduction to the historical role of multinationals for scholars and students as well as for policymakers and stakeholders navigating today's economic landscape.
List of contents
List of figures and tables; List of contributors; Acknowledgments; Introduction: the history of multinationals and society Geoffrey Jones and Sabine Pitteloud; Part I. Fashioning Global Worlds: 1. Multinationals in historical perspective Geoffrey Jones and Sabine Pitteloud; 2. Multinationals and the environment Ann-Kristin Bergquist and Geoffrey Jones; 3. Multinationals and the changing face of Chinese globalization Shuang Frost and Adam Frost; 4. Multinationals and global value chains Valeria Giacomin and Andrea Colli; Part II. Governments and Institutions: 5. Multinationals and organized business Pierre Eichenberger and Sabine Pitteloud; 6. Multinationals and dictatorship Marcelo Bucheli; 7. Multinationals and taxation Boris Gehlen, and Christian Marx; 8. Multinationals and market integration Grace Ballor; Part III. Stakeholders: 9. Multinationals and labor Thomas Fetzer; 10. Multinationals and gender Paula de la Cruz-Fernández; 11. Multinationals and corruption Geoffrey Jones; Part IV. Geopolitics: 12. Multinationals and imperialism: the Indian trajectory Chinmay Tumbe; 13. Multinationals and nationality Alfred Reckendrees; 14. Multinationals, Latin America and dependency theories Andrea Lluch and Rory Miller; Index.
About the author
Geoffrey Jones is Isidor Straus Professor of Business History at the Harvard Business School. His latest books include Deeply Responsible Business. A Global History of Values-Driven Leadership. He is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business.Sabine Pitteloud is Assistant Professor of History at UniDistance, Switzerland. Her latest book (co-edited with Sandra Bott and Janick Schaufelbuehl) is Environmental Regulation and the History of Capitalism: The Role of Business from Stockholm 1972 to the Climate Crisis.
