NGOs as Legitimate Partners of Corporations: A Political Conceptualization (Issues in Business Ethics Book 36)

The interaction between corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has become an important topic in the debate about corporate social responsibility (CSR). Yet, unlike the vast majority of academic work on this topic, this book explicitly focuses on clarifying the role of NGOs, not of corporations, in this context. Based on the notion of NGOs as political actors it argues that NGOs suffer from a multiple legitimacy deficit: they are representatives of civil society without being elected; the legitimacy of the claims they raise is often controversial; and there are often doubts regarding the legitimacy of the behaviour they exhibit in putting forward their claims. Set against an extended sphere of political action in the postnational constellation this book argues that the political model of deliberative democracy provides a meaningful conceptualization of NGOs as legitimate partners of corporations and it develops a conceptual framework that specifically allows distinguishing legitimate partner NGOs from two related actor types with whom they share certain characteristics but who differ with respect to their legitimacy. These related actor types are interest groups on the one hand and activists on the other hand. In conclusion it argues that a focus on the behaviour of NGOs is most meaningful for distinguishing them from interest groups and activists. Front Matter....Pages i-xxiii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 NGOs as Representatives of Public Claims....Pages 3-17 Front Matter....Pages 19-19 The Postnational Constellation: A Broad Conception of Democracy....Pages 21-35 Normative Orientation from Political Theory....Pages 37-43 Civil Society: Coming to Grips with an Elusive Term....Pages 45-52 Insights from Part II....Pages 53-54 Front Matter....Pages 55-55 The Public Sphere....Pages 57-69 Public Reason....Pages 71-82 The Political Process....Pages 83-96 Legitimacy....Pages 97-110 Insights from Part III....Pages 111-112 Front Matter....Pages 113-113 NGOs, Interest Groups and Activists....Pages 115-121 Substantive Characteristics of Legitimate Partner NGOs....Pages 123-125 Structural Characteristics of Legitimate Partner NGOs....Pages 127-140 Procedural Characteristics of Legitimate Partner NGOs....Pages 141-163 Insights from Part IV....Pages 165-165 Concluding Remarks: Normative Guidelines for Conceptualizing NGOs as Legitimate Partners of Corporations and Future Implications....Pages 167-171 Back Matter....Pages 173-204 Unlike others on the topic, this book focuses primarily on the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), arguing that NGOs can rise above perceived legitimacy deficit to function more effectively as corporate partners than interest groups and activists.