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The Commons, the Common Good and Extraterritoriality: Seeking Sustainable Global Justice through Corporate Responsibility

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  • Shuangge Wen

    (Centre for Jurisprudence Research, School of Law, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, Jilin, China
    Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK)

  • Jingchen Zhao

    (Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ, UK)

Abstract

Despite their laudable intent, extraterritorial legal initiatives to promote corporate sustainability development have not been well received in practice, and are often seen as a window-dressing exercise. This article aims to conduct a conceptual and doctrinal analysis, offering a theoretical foundation that interprets corporate extraterritorial legislative attempts as legitimate in the context of globalisation, using the lens of “the commons” and “the common good”. We try to link the values and dimensions of “the commons” to the goals of corporate extraterritorial legislation, so that lawmaking attempts with extraterritorial reach will gain additional foundational support and achieve more effective and better controlled compliance. In particular, the article makes an original attempt to justify and develop a new notion, namely “the extraterritorial commons”. This notion is in harmony with, rather than contradicting, progressive legal attempts to address the mismatching and conflicting nature of the relationship between the traditional voluntarism of corporate extraterritorial responsibilities, particularly in relation to sustainability issues, and global trends towards more regulation in this area.

Suggested Citation

  • Shuangge Wen & Jingchen Zhao, 2020. "The Commons, the Common Good and Extraterritoriality: Seeking Sustainable Global Justice through Corporate Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-21, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:22:p:9475-:d:444985
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    Cited by:

    1. Marta Stanislawska, 2022. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Energy Crisis on CSR Policy in Transport Industry in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-32, November.
    2. Jingchen Zhao & Xiaoming Lu & Wangwei Lin, 2022. "Promoting Corporate Extraterritorial Sustainable Responsibility through the Lens of Social Licence to Operate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Jingchen Zhao, 2021. "Reimagining Corporate Social Responsibility in the Era of COVID-19: Embedding Resilience and Promoting Corporate Social Competence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-28, June.

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