Virksomheders politiske virksomhed

by Christian Frankel, Associate Professor, Department of Organization, Copenhagen Business School

Today, private companies act politically in new ways. We are to push our understanding of politics in order to grasp such new trends. This article argues that the new forms of corporate political activity are characterized by being second order political activity. While first order politics is politics as we know it, namely activities centered on the making of collectively binding decisions, we may define second order politics as the setting of conditions for first order politics. Firms can today be expected to take part in such second order political activities in at least three ways. First, firms constitute their domains (rather than inhabiting domains already made). Second, firms take part in defining what it is to be responsible. Third, firms develop brands to be self-referential points of reference in a floating society. These three hypotheses are discussed with the example of the Lego Company and with the literatures of corporate political activity, political market making and the sociology of branding. The aim of the article is to encourage to develop the hypotheses further and to develop supplementary hypotheses. In short, the article is programmatic.

Hvordan måle lobbyisme i EU?

by Gert Tinggaard Svendsen, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Aarhus

How can we measure lobbyism in the EU? One indirect method is to measure non-regulated lobbyism by measuring the difference between the original green paper (before lobbyism) and the final directive (after lobbyism). Applying this indirect measure to the directive governing CO2 trade in the EU demonstrates that small and well-organized producer groups win at the expense of taxpayers in two respects. First, the allocation rule is changed from auction to grandfathering of CO2 quotas. Second, both the implementation of grandfathering and the enforcement of the system are moved from the supranational to the national level. This procedure may favor national industries, and cheating in the system is too easy. Thus, the policy recommendation is that the EU should use the US legislation on lobbyism as a starting point for efficient regulation of lobbyism so that lobbying activities become public knowledge and can be measured directly.

Retliggørelse af Corporate Social Responsibility gennem politisering

by Karin Buhmann, Associate Professor, Institute of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen

The article is an analysis of the EU Commission’s politicisation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in order to engage companies in realising the Lisbon policy aims of employment, an inclusive society and promotion of human rights. Drawing on the concept of reflexive law, it is argued that the Commission’s approach constitutes not only the politicisation of CSR, but also a legalisation of the political. In addition, the Commission’s attempts through the Multi-Stakeholder Forum on CSR (2002-2004, 2006+) and the CSR Alliance (2006) to instutionalise international human rights law as a normative source for the substance of CSR in a European context contribute to a legalisation of CSR. The article concludes that although CSR is defined in the EU context as action beyond requirements of (positive) law, CSR is not dissociated from the discipline of law in a regulatory nor in a normative sense.

Corporate Response to Institutional Pressure

by Eva Boxenbaum, Associate Professor, Department of Organization, Copenhagen Business School

Societal pressure increases steadily on companies to become more socially responsible. This paper examines how a Danish company responded to this pressure by developing a new practice and formulating a business case that aligned it with corporate social responsibility (CSR). The study applies institutional theory as an analytical framework to understand the rising societal pressure for CSR and the role of companies in this process. The paper concludes with a discussion of this novel way of exercising political power on the economic stage.

The Corporation as a Good Citizen

by Jacob Dahl Rendtorff, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Business and Information Technologies, Roskilde University

What is the relation between the politicization of the firm and corporate citizenship? This article presents a case study of the US defense industry corporation Lockheed Martin. The article consists of the following parts 1) the politization of the firm and corporate citizenship; 2) Martin Marietta: corporate citizenship as good business ethics; 3) Lockheed Martin: improving the ethics program and the elements of the ethics program at Lockheed Martin; 4) the search for legitimacy through good corporate citizenship; 5) conclusion: politicization without good corporate citizenship? The article argues that Lockheed Martin is a good illustration of the politicization of the firm – even though it is very far from having implemented corporate citizenship with regard to treatment of employees, social responsibility and the creation of a room for debate about the legitimacy of its core products and services.

Corporate Social Responsibility i ulandsbistand: gammel vin på nye flasker?

by Søren Jeppesen, Associate Professor, Center for Business and Development Studies, Copenhagen Business School

The Danish industry and in particular Danish firms have to an increasing extent been involved in Danish International Development Assistance over the last 15-20 years. The global emphasis on the private sector as a new and central agent and an alternative to the state as well as increased focus on Private Sector Development (PSD) has led to a striking increase in the disbursement of development assistance funds to Danish firms since the beginning of the 1990s. The main purpose of the support to the Danish firms has been their potential contribution to economic development and employment in developing countries. Efforts concentrating on the environment, occupational health and safety and the latest CSR-strategies have had a modest, though increasing position. While international experience has shown that the greatest effects of PSD can be achieved by implementation at the industry and national level, the main part of the Danish assistance in the field has been channelled through business-to-business collaborations. Outlining historical developments in international and Danish PSD, the article discusses how different Danish actors have politicised this form of international development assistance and the problems this entails. In the last couple of years positive develop¬ments have taken place in that attention and spending have increased through business sector programs and the ini¬tiation of a CSR-program. However, the substantial politicisation on the part of the trade associations and Danida has simultaneously led to an increased strengthening of business-to-business collaborations – and hence of the problematic aspects of Danish PSD assistance. It has been ‘old wine on new bottles’.

Tre i én: Rollen som politisk kommentator

by Marie Hemmingsen, M.A. (Film and Media Studies) & Mette Sigtenbjerggaaard, M.A. (Film and Media Studies)

This article discusses the role of the political pundit in the news media. Drawing on Vilhelm Aubert’s role theory and by analyzing texts from newspapers and TV, in which political pundits comment on the party Ny Alliance, it is argued that the political pundit is a hybrid between the expert, the journalist, and the political actor. It differs to what extent the political pundits act out the individual roles, but they are all allowed to act in ways that go beyond the usual norms linked to the journalist, the expert and the political actor. Thus, they have considerably freedom of action in the po¬litical journalism.

I klemme mellem teoretisk markedsøkonomi og virkelig blandingsøkonomi

by Poul Thøis Madsen, Associate Professor, Department og Economics, Politics and Public Administration, Aalborg University

In order to investigate the understanding of the economic dimension in political science, five American introductory texts in Political Science have been analyzed. Textbooks explicitly and implicitly tell us how ‘science’ is done within the trade. The main results are that a) the economic dimension is dominated by 58 broader political-economic debates; b) economic (neoclassical) theory is only used to a very limited extent; and c) the presentation of neoclassical theory is surprisingly critical. As neoclassical theory is the only economic theory presented, the reader is given the impression that the law of supply and demand also rules in real life with only occasional political interference. However, in the real mixed economy the so-called law plays a more limited role while politics is the major driving force and constitutes a major part of the ‘economy’. This real mixed economy could be accounted for in a more satisfactory way by incor¬porating alternative economic theories as well as a broader spectre of mainstream views - not included in economic textbooks - into future political science textbooks.