How corporate global trading practices trump social justice, and what public health can do about it

For-profit corporations often compete in global trade by engaging in strategies to reduce or avoid costs and to maximize profits, often to the detriment of public health. Such strategies include avoiding geopolitical locales with strong occupational or environmental regulations, avoiding or minimizing taxation, externalizing costs, obtaining cheap raw materials and labor, lowering R&D costs, and disaggregating production, sales and marketing. The aim of these strategies is to obtain increasingly large short-term profits and higher stock share prices. Where government officials and political processes are most malleable to corporate interests, trade often trumps human rights, health and environmental sustainability. This paper examines violations of human rights and the harmful effects on health and the environment that have resulted from corporate global trade practices. For example, changes in income inequality and related health problems during periods of heightened global trade will be discussed. This paper also illustrates the extent and means of corporate influence on governments, health policy and political processes that undermine open democracy. For instance, historical increases in corporate lobbying and campaign contributions in the U.S. will be presented, including those in 2009 and 2010 during Congressional considerations of healthcare reform. Proposed solutions for corporate reform, such as periodic corporate charter review, and direct investor input into management decisions, will be reviewed. Other recommendations will focus on reforming corporate global trading practices and creating more open democratic processes that would help assure that social justice, human health and a sustainable environment are prioritized over corporate trade interests.