Kaylee LeDuc

PSCI 160
November 20, 2015
Should the activities of the MNCs be regulated by a third party to keep them from
exerting undue influence on governments-for example, governments of developing
countries?
In light of a disaster such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, it is important to step
back and consider the responsibilities that governments, IGOs, MNCs, and other actors
feel they are due concerning their actions. It often becomes difficult who exactly is the
cause of such a catastrophe, and as a result, no one wants to come forward and claim
social, financial, or environmental responsibility. To remedy this, it would be beneficial
should the activities of MNCs be regulated by a third party in order to keep them from
exerting undue influence on governments.
While MNCs often have noble actions, they do not always have noble intentions.
Their priorities are time-saving and money-saving decisions, and the priority is profit. In
the case of the BP oil spill, it was proven on a global scale just how badly this method
can turn out. In the aftermath, the MNCs involved took enough responsibility to not be
seen as copping out, but not enough to ruin their public image. Had they been more
regulated, hopefully their spill would have been prevented, but surely they would have
held more responsibility for their actions.

As far as this regulation goes, it is difficult to decide just what sort of organization
will reside over the MNCs. Governments agencies can be manipulated by the MNCs,
becoming entangled in conflicts of interest and only adding to the problem. There must
be a third party in place to prevent these conflicts from arising, to ensuring that
responsibility will lie where responsibility is due.