ABSTRACT
A number of significant cases have been documented of apparent collusion between multinational enterprises (MNEs) and host governments in major violations of human rights. These have been brought to public attention in the media through the actions of concerned individuals and groups, most notably by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) concerned with human rights. Modern human rights doctrine emerged historically from the struggle of the individual property holder against the autocratic monarchic state. It is, in essence, a market-based theory of rights. Thus the first human right to emerge clearly is the right to private property. This chapter assesses the main arguments against and in favour of extending responsibilities for human rights observance to MNEs. The arguments for extending social responsibility standards to corporations are well known. Furthermore, MNEs themselves appear to be rejecting a purely non-social role for themselves through the adoption of corporate and industry-based codes of conduct.
