ABSTRACT
This chapter presents several descriptive and ideological criticisms of the new corporate citizenship (NCC) concept. It outlines the functions of the state in the environment of expanding globalised economic markets. The chapter also outlines the diffusion of transnational corporations as a ubiquitous feature of contemporary business and illustrates some of the difficulties associated with defining the social context of transnational corporations within extant political institutional arrangements. It argues that an operationalised NCC would serve to exacerbate rather than redress the implications of globalisation on individual citizenship rights. The chapter focuses on the ideological implications of D. Matten and A. Crane’s concept of corporate citizenship. Although political institutionalism is found most commonly in the literature of public policy, its perspective is apposite to a discussion of proposals to extend the research of corporate citizenship. The transnational corporation represents an extension or special case of the generic business firm.
