Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law: Series Number 48: Multinationals and Corporate Social Responsibility: Limitations and Opportunities in International Law

The 'corporate social responsibility' ('CSR') movement has been described as one of the most important social movements of our time. This book looks at what the CSR movement means for multinationals, for states and for international law. International law is often criticized for being too 'state-centred', and ill-equipped to deal with the challenges of globalization. However, drawing from many and varied examples of state, NGO and corporate practice, this 2006 book argues that, while international law has its limitations, it presents more opportunities for the CSR regulation of multinationals than many people assume. The main obstacles to better regulation are, therefore, not legal, but political.

Preface; Table of treaties, declarations and other international instruments; Table of cases; Table of statutes and statutory instruments; Abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. Regulatory Issues and Problems: 1. Multinationals and corporate social responsibility: a new regulatory agenda; 2. Multinationals under international law; 3. Multinationals under national law: the problem of jurisdiction; Part II. Home State Regulation of Multinationals: 4. New directions in extraterritorial regulation of CSR standards; 5. Private claims for personal injury and environmental harm; Part III. International Regulation of Multinationals: 6. Towards an international law of CSR?; 7. Multinationals and CSR: limitations and opportunities in international law; Bibliography.