Course Information

Instructors: Dr. Timur Ergen (te@mpifg.de) & Dr. Sebastian Kohl (sk@mpifg.de)
Institution: Universität Duisburg-Essen
Semester: Winter 2018
Format: Block Seminar

This seminar discusses the historical development, organizational structures, and societal impacts of multinational corporations. Estimates suggest that currently up to 80 percent of world trade takes place in value chains connected with multinational enterprises. Multinational corporations have no less direct or indirect influence on transnational trade and economic policy, environmental protection, and working conditions in global capitalism.

The seminar provides an introduction to analyses and theories of multinational corporations that lay the groundwork for systematic and critical examination of their influence. Given their importance, multinational corporations stand surprisingly rarely at the center of social science investigations. The seminar addresses students with interests in economic topics in sociology, but also students with historical interests or interest in contemporary questions about aspects of globalization.

Course Materials
  • Complete Syllabus — Full course syllabus with detailed information and requirements

Assessment

Students can earn 2 or 6 ECTS points. For 2 ECTS: reading of required texts, creation of assigned reading reports, a short presentation, and active participation. For 6 ECTS: additionally a term paper (6000 words) is required. Reading report template will be available in the first session. Term paper submission deadline: March 31, 2019.

Introduction Session

Required Reading:

  • Peter Hall and David Soskice, 2001. An Introduction to Varieties of Capitalism. In: Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage, herausgegeben von Peter Hall und David Soskice. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1–45.

Part 1: Historical Origins and Development of Multinational Enterprises

Required Readings:

  • Mira Wilkins, 2009. The History of the Multinational Enterprise, in: The Oxford Handbook of International Business, herausgegeben von Alan M. Rugman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 3–38.
  • Geoffrey Jones, 2005. Multinationals and Global Capitalism from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-first Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Teil 2.
  • John H. Dunning, 2000. The Eclectic Paradigm as an Envelope for Economic and Business Theories of MNE activity, International Business Review, 9: 163–190.
  • Gary Gereffi, 2005. The Global Economy: Organization, Governance, and Development, in: The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, herausgegeben von Neil J. Smelser and Richard Swedberg. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 160–182.
  • Gary Gereffi, John Humphrey und Timothy Sturgeon, 2005. The Governance of Global Value Chains, Review of International Political Economy, 12 (1): 78–104.
  • Geny Piotti, 2009. German Companies Engaging in China Decision-Making Processes at Home and Management Practices in Chinese Subsidiaries. MPIfG Working Paper 09/14. Köln: Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung.

Part 2: Country Comparisons, Multinational Enterprises and Methodological Nationalism

Required Readings:

  • Bruce Kogut, 1992. National Organizing Principles of Work and the Erstwhile Dominance of the American Multinational Corporation. Industrial and Corporate Change, 1, 2: 285–325.
  • Mira Wilkins, 2010. Multinational Enterprises and the Varieties of Capitalism. Business History Review 84, 4: 638–645.
  • Peer Hull Kristensen und Jonathan Zeitlin, 2005. Local Players in Global Games: The Strategic Constitution of a Multinational Corporation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1–69.
  • Gary Herrigel, 2017. Experimentalist Systems in Manufacturing Multinationals: German Automobile and Machinery Examples. Unpubliziertes Manuskript. University of Chicago.

Expert Lecture: Arjan Reurink (Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung): “The Netherlands as a tax haven.”

Part 3: Governance and Multinational Enterprises

Required Readings:

  • Marie-Laure Djelic und Kerstin Sahlin-Andersson, 2006. Transnational Governance: Institutional Dynamics of Regulation. Cambridge University Press, 1–28.
  • Tim Bartley, 2018: Transnational Corporations and Global Governance. Annual Review of Sociology 44: 145–165.
  • Tim Bartley, 2018: Rules without Rights. Land, Labor, and Private Authority in the Global Economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1–78.
  • James Ferguson, 2006. Global Shadows: Africa in the Neoliberal World Order. Durham: Duke University Press, 194–210.
  • Yong H. Kim und Gerald F. Davis, 2016. Challenges for Global Supply Chain Sustainability: Evidence from Conflict Minerals Reports. Academy of Management Journal 59, 6: 1896–1916.
  • Jennifer Klein, 2010. For All These Rights: Business, Labor, and the Shaping of America’s Public-Private Welfare State. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 258–276.

Part 4: Problems of Empirical Analysis of Multinational Corporations

Required Readings:

  • Thomas R. Tørsløv, Ludvig S. Wier, Gabriel Zucman, 2018. The Missing Profits of Nations. NBER Working Paper No. 24701. NBER: Cambridge, MA.
  • Stefan Avdjiev, Mary Everett, Philip R Lane und Hyun Song Shin. 2018. Tracking the International Footprints of Global Firms. Bank of International Settlements.