Human Rights, Poverty Reduction, Opportunities, and the Multinational Enterprise

Abstract

There is near universal agreement the human rights of all individuals should be respected. Yet in practice, there are differences of opinions over the universality and application of human rights in specific situations. Instead of advocating excessive scrutiny and regulation of human rights based on a single set of values, thus discouraging FDI in the least developed countries of the world; it is argued multinational enterprises can have the most positive impact on human rights by actively seeking out opportunities to operate in the areas of the world most affected by poverty. By concentrating on doing what the private sector does best, creating livelihood and purchasing options which individuals have the right to choose or reject, the private section can have a significant impact on creating wealth and reducing poverty.

The role of trade narratives in poverty reduction after the COVID-19 crisis

“…An alternative to focusing on inequality of income is a narrative, which focuses on inequities of opportunity. It has been reported much of the global income inequalities are due to the great disparities in educational or livelihood opportunities, and international trade and openness tend to increase equality of opportunities for education, employment and skill development (Hipsher, 2018(Hipsher, , 2019(Hipsher, , 2020.…”

“…Gwartney et al, 2018;Kobrin, 2019;Miller et al, 2019). An alternative narrative, the wealth creation approach, where firms are encouraged to engage in business activities in regions of the world where poverty is widespread, might be especially appropriate for use in CSR programs in attempts to reduce extreme poverty in the post pandemic environment (Hipsher, 2016(Hipsher, , 2018(Hipsher, , 2020. It has been found, "Greater access to markets, and not more aid and assistance targeted at development, is the best means of permanently lifting the poorest people from the lowest depths of poverty" (Coyne, 2013, p. 25).…”

“…They are mostly anecdotal in nature with normative prescriptions that are critical of business in general, if not outright anti-business" (Li and Gaur, 2014, p. 15). These types of narratives frequently do not take into account the desires and ability of people living in or close to poverty to make their own decisions when presented with new opportunities (Hipsher, 2018).…”

Tourism in Thailand

“…Scholars who see opportunty ask, why would people voluntarily choose to work in a job that exploits them if better options are available? This view is aligned with the wealth creation approach to poverty reduction, where the focus is on increasing the wealth of people living in poverty through increased economic opportunities as opposed to redistributing wealth created in more productive areas to less productive ones (Hipsher, 2018). The wealth creation approaches encourages more opportunities and respecting individuals right and ability to choose which opportunity best fits their needs.…”

“…Thus one cannot use a single benchmark to measure job and life satisfaction, as it is measured differently by each individual. It has been argued, individuals are generally better judges of their own needs and wants, opportunities available, and satisfaction/happiness than are other people, especially individuals from different cultures and with different levels of opportunities (Hipsher, 2018).…”