Multinational Corporations

Trends in International Political Economy Multinational Corporations

The nature of international business has shifted dramatically as well since World War II. In the past, multinational corporations based their operations in one country, with their activities in other countries limited primarily to the sale of products. Today, the MNCs manufacture products in locations around the world. This allows corporations to take advantage of the various conditions in each country, such as cheap labor, skilled workers, natural resources, and favorable trade or tax regulations. MNCs have also created global markets for their products, a trend that has led to the standardization of brand name products worldwide. For example, McDonald’s hamburgers are sold in dozens of countries, and every half-second a Barbie doll is sold somewhere in the world. The growing power of MNCs, however, raises difficult issues for national governments, which must weigh the need for foreign trade and investment against the desire to preserve national sovereignty and culture. ” (1) For an introduction to International Political Economy, see here. For information on Trends in International Political Economy, see here.

Multinational Corporations

Embracing mainstream international law, this section on multinational corporations explores the context, history and effect of the area of the law covered here.

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about International Political Economy, Multinational Corporations in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Further Reading

• The entry “multinational corporations” in the Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law (currently, the Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law, 2009), Oxford University Press