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College Writing and Research

Chris Schrage

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� Made up of governmental institutions, political parties, and organizations that rulers and people use to wield power

� Each nation’s political culture reflects the importance of the government and legal system.

� Issues for foreign investors include the governing party’s view on sovereignty, political risk, taxes, equity dilution, and expropriation.

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DemocracyDemocracy

Representative Democracy

Freedoms• Expression, opinion, organization

• Media

• Regular elections with universal suffrage

• Limited terms for elected representatives

• Fair and independent court system

• Non political bureaucracy, police force and armed service

• Relatively free access to information

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TotalitarianismTotalitarianism

Constitutional guarantees are denied

Four majors forms:

Communist

Theocratic

• Based on religious principles

Tribal• Mostly African

Right wing

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Political impact on Economic Political impact on Economic TransformationTransformation

Deregulation

Removal of legal restrictions to free markets

Privatization

Transfer of state ownership of property into private hands.

Creation of legal systems to protect property rights

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� The Napoleonic Code of 1804 drew on the Roman legal system and is the basis for continental European law today. Code law is also known as civil law.

� U.S. law is rooted in English common law.

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� Common law country� Disputes are decided by

reliance on the authority of past judicial decisions

� Companies are legally incorporated by state authority

� Code law is used in few areas; the U.S. Uniform Commercial Code

� Civil law country� Legal system reflects the

structural concepts and principles of the Roman Empire

� Companies are formed by contract between two or more parties who are fully liable for the actions of the company

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� Legal system in many Middle Eastern countries

� Sharia—a comprehensive code governing Muslim conduct in all areas of life, including business� Koran—holy book� Hadith

� Based on life, sayings, and practices of Muhammad

� Identifies forbidden practices, “haram”

� Leads to exploitation or abuse?

� Why is the undocumented workers have to live in fear and are arrested?� Why not the corporate executives that knowingly

employ them?

� Remit large amounts of money to families left at home� In Honduras about 1/5 of the capital inflow is from

family members working outside of Honduras

� More money flows into the developing world through remittances from immigrants than all the foreign aid by the West.

� Communities dependent on immigrants� Marshalltown caught in immigation squeeze

Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier September 3, 2007� Community rejuvenated by the influx of immigrants

� Completed jobs no one else would perform but needed done� Meat packing

� Iowa Center for Immigration Leadership and Integration� Tries to provide understanding of economic conditions that brought

immigrants to Marshalltown.

� Families have now been established

� New cultural dimensions to the community

� Economic vibrance returning

� What are basic human rights?????

� Universal Declaration of Human Rights � 1948 adopted by UN

� 30 articles

� United States� Bill of Rights http://www.un.org/rights/

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Today, poverty prevails as the gravest human rightsToday, poverty prevails as the gravest human rightschallenge in the world. Combating poverty, deprivation challenge in the world. Combating poverty, deprivation

andandexclusion is not a matter of charity, and it does not exclusion is not a matter of charity, and it does not

dependdependon how rich a country is. on how rich a country is.

By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights obligation, obligation,

the world will have a better chance of abolishing thisthe world will have a better chance of abolishing thisscourge in our lifetime... scourge in our lifetime...

Poverty eradication is an achievable goal. Poverty eradication is an achievable goal.

Louise ArbourUnited Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

And poverty affects all human And poverty affects all human rights: for example, low income can rights: for example, low income can prevent people from accessing prevent people from accessing education education ---- an an “economic and “economic and social” rightsocial” right ---- which in turn inhibits which in turn inhibits their participation in public life their participation in public life ---- a a “civil and political” right“civil and political” right ---- and their and their ability to influence policies affecting ability to influence policies affecting them. them.

� International Observation

� December 10th

� Since 1950

� Myramar (Burma)

� Brick Factories in Shanxi Province

� UN declaration:� Digital literacy

� Access and opportunity

� Linguistic diversity on the Internet

� Ability to promote cultural products on the Internet

Is that the only aspect of cultural rights?Is that the only aspect of cultural rights?

� Do the “right” thing.� Thomas Donaldson’s Three Principles:

� Respect for core human values (human rights), which determine the absolute moral threshold for all business activities.

� Respect for local tradition.� The belief that context matters when deciding

what is right and what is wrong.