ABSTRACT
Civilizing capitalism in the 21st century – if indeed it can be civilized – encounters one more pivotal challenge. ‘Redemption’, for economic as well as politically liberal societies, involves strengthening checks and balances in a pluralist polycentric world. Recognizing the competitive advantage of collaboration should be a starting point for fostering healthy, productive, and socially and ecologically sustainable societies. Businesses that operate globally may thereby come under difficult cross-pressure from contradictory legislation and civic expectations that makes it difficult to operate across the democratic-authoritarian divide. The Chinese technology giant Huawei, for instance, experienced massive hindrances as it aspired to deliver technology at the heart of Western communication infrastructure, while operating what Westerners see as a repressive Chinese information system. In contrast to the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union, the rivalry with China is not about the economic system.
