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Regulation

There are laws on the books worldwide that constrain the activity of corporations. The problem is enforcing them effectively, especially when the people who run the businesses can frequently persuade authorities to change the rules to suit them. We explore the role of government in setting and enforcing rules for fairness and competition in the private sector, and how the private sector manages to set the regulation agenda itself.


News Articles

UK: Friends of the Earth attacks carbon trading
by Ashley SeagerThe Guardian (UK)
November 5th, 2009
The world's carbon trading markets growing complexity threatens another "sub-prime" style financial crisis that could again destabilise the global economy, campaigners warn. In a new report, Friends of the Earth says that to date "cap and trade" carbon markets have done little to reduce emissions but have been plagued by inefficiency and corruption.

IVORY COAST: Trafigura offers deal to 31,000 Africans over dumped waste
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6837795.ece
October 17th, 2009
British oil trader Trafigura has offered to settle a court case brought by 31,000 Africans who say that they were injured in the largest personal injuries class action mounted in an English court. The action resulted from the dumping of 400 tonnes of waste in the Ivory Coast by an oil tanker, the Probo Koala, in 2006 — one of the worst pollution disasters in recent history.

IVORY COAST: Trafigura offers deal to 31,000 Africans over dumped waste
by Frances GibbThe Times (London)
October 17th, 2009
British oil trader Trafigura has offered to settle a court case brought by 31,000 Africans who say that they were injured in the largest personal injuries class action mounted in an English court. The action resulted from the dumping of 400 tonnes of waste in the Ivory Coast by an oil tanker, the Probo Koala, in 2006 — one of the worst pollution disasters in recent history.

FRANCE: French nuclear plant reveals plutonium level discrepancies
by AFP/ReutersDeutsche Welle
October 15th, 2009
The French government has demanded answers from a nuclear research facility after nearly triple the registered amount of plutonium was discovered there during its dismantling this summer.

US: E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection
by Michael MossNew York Times
October 3rd, 2009
Tracing the chain of production of an E. Coli-contaminated hamburger made by Cargill, through interviews and government and corporate records obtained by The New York Times, shows why eating ground beef is still a gamble. Neither the system meant to make the meat safe, nor the meat itself, is what consumers have been led to believe.


CorpWatch Blog

Chevron Gets Fixed
by Antonia JuhaszHuffington Post
November 4th, 2009

Still Learning Nothing
by Mark Floegel
September 24th, 2009

Tightening the Corporate Grip: The Stakes at the Supreme Court
by Robert Weissman
September 18th, 2009

Corporations and the Amazon
by Philip Mattera
August 16th, 2009

What's not in Chevron's annual report
by Cameron Scott
May 26th, 2009


CorpWatch Exclusives

Mission Essential, Translators Expendable
by Pratap ChatterjeeSpecial to CorpWatch
August 11th, 2009
Ohio-based Mission Essential Personnel supplies over 2,000 translators to the Pentagon in Afghanistan, who play a critical role in protecting local and military lives. These interpreters are a key communications link. But if they are wounded or killed, they are often left to fend for themselves. This special features video of CorpWatch interviews with three Afghan whistleblowers, recorded in country in April. Click through to hear their story.

Obama's Tax Haven Reform: Chump Change
by Charlie CraySpecial to CorpWatch
June 15th, 2009
In early May, the Obama administration announced plans to eliminate the advantages that multinationals have over domestic corporations as to the tax treatment of reinvested profits. K Street corporate lobbyists haven’t squealed so loudly since they lost their three martini lunches. The uproar draws attention away from the fact that U.S. multinationals enjoy an effective tax rate of just 2.4 percent on billions of dollars in foreign active earnings.

CorpWatch announces release of the CrocTail application and open CorpWatch API
June 8th, 2009
CorpWatch, with support from the Sunlight Foundation, announces release of the CrocTail application and open CorpWatch API. CrocTail provides an interface for browsing information about U.S. publicly traded corporations and their many foreign and domestic subsidiaries. CrocTail also serves as a demonstration of the features and data available through the CorpWatch API.

Goa Cursed By Its Mineral Wealth
by Emily BildSpecial to CorpWatch
April 23rd, 2009
Set on India's west coast, Goa is renowned as a beach paradise popular with Indian and foreign tourists alike. Just a few miles inland from the quaint restaurants and the pristine waves lapping the silver shores of India's smallest state, iron-ore mining is destroying the environment, say activists and locals.

Regulating Ramatex: Authorities Shut Out as Malaysian Investor Threatens Namibian Environment
by Moses MagadzaSpecial to CorpWatch
April 5th, 2009
For nearly six years Ramatex Textile and Garment Factory barred government regulators from entering industrial premises leased from the City of Windhoek. Ramatex came to Namibia in 2001, lured by the newly implemented African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Evidence of environmental violations finally emerged after the company absconded.


Commentary & Analysis

GOP Corruption? Bring in the Conservatives
by Thomas FrankThe New York Times
August 22nd, 2006

US: Municipal Wi-Fi: The Internet’s Next Step?
by Martin H. BosworthComsumer Affairs
August 18th, 2006
Municipal Wi-Fi has the potential to be a viable alternative for people sick of the same choices when it comes to Internet access But with powerful corporate interests opposing it and a disinterested Congress, the road ahead is rough.

US: 12 Things to Do Now About Corporations
by Sarah Ruth van GelderYES! Magazine
September 11th, 2002
Americans know that corporate excess is about more than flawed accounting. It corrupts democracy, drives a wedge between rich and poor, degrades the environment, and disrupts communities. So what might we the people do?