We are living in a world of multiple and inter-related health problems, including Covid-19, tobacco use, alcohol and other substance use, obesity, non-communicable diseases and untreatable infections caused by anti-microbial resistance (AMR). These have coincided with accelerated environmental degradation and climate change, further exacerbating health inequities across the globe.
A major driver has been the rapid growth of multi- and trans-national corporations (M&TNCs), which now account for over half of global exports, over a third of global GDP and over a quarter of global employment. While transforming international trade and investment, their global economic dominance goes hand-in-hand with considerable corporate power to influence domestic and international policy to their own commercial advantage. The strategies to pursue and protect interests are common to all M&TNCs and can conceptualise them as a multinational playbook.
Much of what we have learned about this playbook comes from the unhealthy commodities tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed foods, but beyond this trinity, many other industries (for example gambling, pharmaceutical, agriculture and oil) directly influence global public health and health inequities. Social media companies have also grown into large MNCs with enormous power and influence, raising concerns about their control of data and capacity to influence democratic institutions. More broadly, the tax avoidance practiced by M&TNCs serves as a neo-colonial wealth extraction from the Global South, depleting public resources and serving to entrench the privatisation of public goods and services. This is perhaps the most pernicious example of how multinational capitalism harms health equity and conflicts with sustainable development goals.
The aim of this Research Topic is to bring together in one collection current thinking on the influence of multinational capitalism on global public health and health inequities and to explore solutions to reducing harm and promoting the transition to a more equitable and sustainable society.
This issue is specifically about the role M&TNCs play in driving and perpetuating the axis of inequality between the Global North and South. The neo-colonial dimension to multinational capitalism lies at the heart of the issue, but is not linked to any specific industry.
We are interested in how M&TNCs and other actors (multilaterals, not-for-profits, NGOs etc) use their power to:
• Influence jurisdictions, markets and civil society;
• Shape political, legal, economic, socio-cultural and technological structures;
• Influence values and norms.
And the mechanisms of influence such as:
• Marketing, retail and pricing practices;
• Social media, online marketing and sales, e-commerce
• Lobbying, political contributions, public relations and philanthropy;
• Trade and investment agreements and foreign direct investment, especially in the Global South;
• Financial practices, tax avoidance, beneficial ownership and other practices of both M&TNCs and governments.
It could also include broader forces that enable these mechanisms, such as privatisation, financialization, commodification and data monetarization.
Finally we are particularly interested in novel solutions to reducing the harms caused by multinational capitalism; and strategies needed to facilitate the transition from a profit-based society to an equitable and sustainable society based on need. For example, this might include discussion of:
• Regulatory and governance structures required to counter the conflict of interest between commercial priorities, profit maximisation and the promotion of public health;
• Optimising the policy window afforded by global collaboration in response to Covid-19;
• Facilitating the emergence of a non-M&TNC dominated sector of the economy, such as mutual companies and co-operatives;
• Applying indigenous knowledge and practices to protect the environment, facilitate climate change adaptation and promote global health.
The scope of Multi- and Trans-national, Capitalism and Global Public Health is intentionally broad and explicitly inter-disciplinary. We invite abstracts for literature reviews, primary research and opinion or theoretical pieces from colleagues in the global north and global south.
We are living in a world of multiple and inter-related health problems, including Covid-19, tobacco use, alcohol and other substance use, obesity, non-communicable diseases and untreatable infections caused by anti-microbial resistance (AMR). These have coincided with accelerated environmental degradation and climate change, further exacerbating health inequities across the globe.
A major driver has been the rapid growth of multi- and trans-national corporations (M&TNCs), which now account for over half of global exports, over a third of global GDP and over a quarter of global employment. While transforming international trade and investment, their global economic dominance goes hand-in-hand with considerable corporate power to influence domestic and international policy to their own commercial advantage. The strategies to pursue and protect interests are common to all M&TNCs and can conceptualise them as a multinational playbook.
Much of what we have learned about this playbook comes from the unhealthy commodities tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed foods, but beyond this trinity, many other industries (for example gambling, pharmaceutical, agriculture and oil) directly influence global public health and health inequities. Social media companies have also grown into large MNCs with enormous power and influence, raising concerns about their control of data and capacity to influence democratic institutions. More broadly, the tax avoidance practiced by M&TNCs serves as a neo-colonial wealth extraction from the Global South, depleting public resources and serving to entrench the privatisation of public goods and services. This is perhaps the most pernicious example of how multinational capitalism harms health equity and conflicts with sustainable development goals.
The aim of this Research Topic is to bring together in one collection current thinking on the influence of multinational capitalism on global public health and health inequities and to explore solutions to reducing harm and promoting the transition to a more equitable and sustainable society.
This issue is specifically about the role M&TNCs play in driving and perpetuating the axis of inequality between the Global North and South. The neo-colonial dimension to multinational capitalism lies at the heart of the issue, but is not linked to any specific industry.
We are interested in how M&TNCs and other actors (multilaterals, not-for-profits, NGOs etc) use their power to:
• Influence jurisdictions, markets and civil society;
• Shape political, legal, economic, socio-cultural and technological structures;
• Influence values and norms.
And the mechanisms of influence such as:
• Marketing, retail and pricing practices;
• Social media, online marketing and sales, e-commerce
• Lobbying, political contributions, public relations and philanthropy;
• Trade and investment agreements and foreign direct investment, especially in the Global South;
• Financial practices, tax avoidance, beneficial ownership and other practices of both M&TNCs and governments.
It could also include broader forces that enable these mechanisms, such as privatisation, financialization, commodification and data monetarization.
Finally we are particularly interested in novel solutions to reducing the harms caused by multinational capitalism; and strategies needed to facilitate the transition from a profit-based society to an equitable and sustainable society based on need. For example, this might include discussion of:
• Regulatory and governance structures required to counter the conflict of interest between commercial priorities, profit maximisation and the promotion of public health;
• Optimising the policy window afforded by global collaboration in response to Covid-19;
• Facilitating the emergence of a non-M&TNC dominated sector of the economy, such as mutual companies and co-operatives;
• Applying indigenous knowledge and practices to protect the environment, facilitate climate change adaptation and promote global health.
The scope of Multi- and Trans-national, Capitalism and Global Public Health is intentionally broad and explicitly inter-disciplinary. We invite abstracts for literature reviews, primary research and opinion or theoretical pieces from colleagues in the global north and global south.
