Controlling transnational corporations is problematic because of the absence of powerful international regulations and inconsistent national legislation. Corporations that conduct business in several countries can therefore often engage in corporate behaviors that are illegal in one country but not in others. However, efforts to control these corporations are undertaken in spite of such difficulties. Insights from state theory and social movement/ problem theory are used to explain the relative successes of efforts to control corporations active in the infant formula, pharmaceutical, and tobacco industries.
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