Suiting Themselves: How Corporations Drive the Global Agenda

273 Pages·2006·5.61 MB·English

by  Sharon Beder

Suiting Themselves
Dr Sharon Beder has written 6 previous books and around 140 articles, book
chapters and conference papers, as well as educational monographs, consultancy
reports and teaching resources. Her research has focused on how power
relationships are maintained and challenged, particularly by corporations and
professions. Her earlier books, some of which have been translated into other
languages, are:
Power Play: The Fight for Control of the World’s Electricity
Scribe, Melbourne and the New Press, New York (2003)
Selling the Work Ethic: From Puritan Pulpit to Corporate PR
Zed Books, London and Scribe, Melbourne (2000)
Global Spin: The Corporate Assault on Environmentalism
Green Books, Devon, UK and Scribe, Melbourne (1997 and 2002)
The New Engineer
Macmillan, Melbourne (1998)
The Nature of Sustainable Development
Scribe, Melbourne (1996)
Toxic Fish and Sewer Surfing
Allen & Unwin, Sydney (1989)
Dr Beder is a qualified professional engineer and worked in this field until
a career shift into researching and teaching environmental politics. She has
held a number of appointments at Australian universities over the past two
decades – most recently as professor in the School of Social Sciences, Media and
Communication at the University of Wollongong in Australia.
Her website is http://homepage.mac.com/herinst/sbeder/home.html
Suiting Themselves
How Corporations Drive the Global Agenda
Sharon Beder

EARTHSCAN
London • Sterling, VA
First published by Earthscan in the UK and USA in 2006
Copyright © Sharon Beder
All rights reserved
ISBN-13: 978-1-84407-331-3
ISBN-10: 1-84407-331-9
Typesetting by JS Typesetting Ltd, Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan
Printed and bound in the UK by Cromwell Press
Cover design by Andrew Corbett
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A catalogue record for this boo k is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Beder, Sharon.
Suiting Themselves: how corporations drive the global agenda / Sharon Beder.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-84407-331-3
ISBN-10: 1-84407-331-9
1. Industrial policy. 2. Corporations—Political activity. 3. Business and politics.
I. Title.
HD3611.B42 2005
322'.3—dc22
2005029039
Printed on elemental chlorine-free paper
Contents
List of Boxes, Figures and Tables vii
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ix
Acknowledgements xiii
1 A Corporate Class 1
2 National Influence 9
3 International Coercion 39
4 Washington Consensus Down Under 59
5 From Public Service to Private Profit 83
6 The Trade Agenda 109
7 Trade in Services 127
8 Coercing Trade Agreements 153
9 Deregulating Investment 173
10 Globalization Versus Democracy 191
11 Conclusion: The Triumph of Corporate Rights 219
Bibliography 225
Index 251

List of Boxes, Figures and Tables
BOXES
6.1 The World Economic Forum (WEF) 112
6.2 The Wexler Group 116
7.1 World Trade Organization (WTO) Telmex ruling 133
8.1 US Alliance for Trade Expansion (US Trade) 165
8.2 TransAtlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) 166
9.1 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) 174
10.1 Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT) 197
10.2 National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) 202
10.3 USA*Engage 204
FIGURES
1.1 Interlocking directorates 5
2.1 Business Roundtab le connections in 1997 20
2.2 Corporate influence on policy-making 31
3.1 Corporate influence on the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) 43
5.1 Investment in Buenos Aires water supply during the first year 92
5.2 International water privatization lobbying networks 98
7.1 Organizations and networks lobbying for free trade in services 139
8.1 Some of Pfizer’s business association connections 154
9.1 Business lobbying for the Multilateral Agreement on Investment
(MAI) 176
10.1 The interlinking of some US trade groups 207
10.2 Key people linking trade coalitions 211
viii SUITING THEMSELVES
TABLES
2.1 Current membership of key US policy groups: Selected
corporations 22
2.2 Donations by selected foundations to selected think tanks,
1985–2002 27
3.1 US techniques of covert action: Expenditures in Chile,
1963–1973 40
4.1 Winners and losers of free market policies 70
5.1 The world’s major water corporations 99
5.2 The world’s major waste corporations 100
10.1 Membership of some key US trade coalitions (past and present) 206
10.2 Some key business leaders 208
10.3 Some key government officials 212
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
AAFTAC American–Australian Free Trade Agreement Coalition
ABC Association of Builders and Contractors (US)
ACCI Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
ACTPN Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (US)
ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions
ADB Asian Development Bank
AEI American Enterprise Institute
AIG American International Group
ALP Australian Labor Party
AmEx American Express
ANC African National Congress
APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
ARC Australian Research Council
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASI Adam Smith Institute (UK)
AusAID Australian Government Overseas Aid Programme
BCA Business Council of Australia
BCC British Chamb ers of Commerce
BDI Association of German Industries
BI British Invisibles
BIAC Business and Industry Advisory Council (of the OECD)
BJP Bharatiya Janata party (India)
BRT Business Roundtable (US)
CAI Confederation of Australian Industry
CBI Confederation of British Industry
CCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
CED Committee for Economic Development (US)
CEDA Committee for Economic Development of Australia
CEO chief executive officer
CESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
CFR Council on Foreign Relations (US)
CGA Centre for the Global Agenda
CIA Central Intelligence Agency (US)