Paper short abstract:

Legal systems secure the economic and political power of corporations. The German NGO Goliathwatch uses a critical capability approach (Sen) for understanding global asymmetries. Practical experiences and transformative strategies from Uganda or Hamburg are showing positive and negative futures.

Paper long abstract:

Legal systems enable and secure the economic and political power of transnational corporate giants like Bayer-Monsanto, Facebook or Glencore. As an economist and activist of the German NGO Goliathwatch we use a critical capability approach (Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum), “Capital as Power” (Nitzan/Bichler) plus Katharina Pistor for the understand of global asymmetries in legal power relations. Global value chains in agriculture, resources or digital services are structured against human rights and for corporate freedom. Our global civil society needs to address the redistribution of resources and instruments of power. Institutions are the result of historical political conflicts and successful transformative strategies include strategic litigation, community organizing, plural economic education and transnational solidarity. Practical experiences from Uganda, Hamburg and Namibia show positive and negative developments.