Introduction

Throughout this book we have frequently come across the phenomenon of globalization. Initially we discussed the rise of corporate participation in a citizen-like way in the governance of various global issues, such as global warming and the fight against pandemics (Chapter 2). We also saw a shifting corporate role towards a government-like involvement in, for instance, governing global markets for goods and services or governing civic entitlements in global supply chains in countries with weak governance institutions (Chapter 3). In Chapter 4 we analyzed the political aspects of the community formed by the firm and its stakeholders and frequently referred to the potential global reach of this new arena. In this chapter, we first analyze and theorize the impact of globalization on the corporate involvement in the citizenship arena more systematically and, second, examine the effects of globalization on the reconfiguration of the very notion of citizenship itself and the role of corporations in shaping, and being impacted by, this process.