Public Forces and Private Politics in American Big Business (Business and Public Policy)
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Illustrated, 6/21/2012
EAN 9781107022911, ISBN10: 1107022916
Hardcover, 206 pages, 23.4 x 15.6 x 1.5 cm
Language: English
What are the political motivations behind firms' decisions to adopt policies that self-regulate their behavior in a manner that is beyond compliance with state, federal and local law? Public Forces and Private Politics in American Big Business advances a new understanding of the firm as a political actor that expands beyond the limited conceptualizations offered by economists and organization theorists. Timothy Werner develops a general theory of private politics that is tested using three case studies: the environment, gay rights and executive compensation. Using the conclusions of these case studies and an analysis of interviews with executives at 'Fortune 500' firms, Werner finds that politics can contribute significantly to our understanding of corporate decision-making on private policies and corporate social responsibility in the United States.
1. Introduction
2. The firm as political actor and a theory of private policymaking
3. Unveiling the public roots of private policymaking
4. The public, the state, and corporate environmentalism
5. Public opinion and gay rights in the workplace
6. Total executive compensation and regulatory threat
7. Conclusion
Appendix
data sources and variable measurement by chapter.
Advance praise: 'How is it that big business in the US has become both more powerful over government and more vulnerable to activist pressure? In addressing this puzzle, Timothy Werner has pulled off a major feat: he has woven together an analysis of 'private politics', public policy agendas, and the theory of the firm that is accessible, nuanced, and wide-ranging in its implications.' Tim Bartley, Indiana University