The Politics of Responsibility: Marc Oberhauser on Power, Systems, and the Future of Global Business

From value chains to geopolitics, his research traces how responsibility moves through complex systems rather than single firms.

In Marc Oberhauser’s research, familiar elements of global business, such as supply chains, multinationals, and sustainability, become the starting point for a larger inquiry. He asks what happens to responsibility when harm is produced not by one firm, but by the structure of the system itself.

Marc Oberhauser, an Associate Professor of International Business at ESCP Business School in Madrid, explains that this perspective now connects two strands of his work. “I’m building a second pillar of research that looks more directly at geopolitics, sanctions, and corporate power,” he says. In his view, responsibility in global value chains cannot be understood without also considering the political pressures shaping how firms operate today.

Beyond the corporation

According to Marc, International Business as a discipline largely remains company-centric: “We know a lot about managers, CEOs, and corporate strategies. What interests me more are the actors around them, such as civil society organisations, local communities, and governments, and how their interactions shape what global business becomes.”

His research seeks to understand how responsibility is negotiated across vast networks of actors, not contained within a single firm. His studies of human rights and sustainability in global value chains reveal how easily good intentions dissipate once they travel through the intricate circuitry of subcontractors, suppliers, and intermediaries.

Group photo of Marc Oberhauser and fellow AIB Sustainability SIG members standing together at the AIB 2024 conference in Seoul.

Marc Oberhauser with colleagues from the AIB Sustainability SIG at the 2024 Academy of International Business conference in Seoul, South Korea.

In interviews with civil society organisations across Africa, Asia and Latin America, he found that collaboration on the ground often bears little resemblance to the glossy agreements announced at corporate headquarters. “When a multinational and a global NGO sign a partnership, we imagine something is happening. Unfortunately, very often, it doesn’t reach those most affected, that is, the people whose rights are actually at stake.”

Real accountability, he argues, depends on transnational networks linking global, national, and local civil society groups. “You can’t rely on one level alone. Local organisations may distrust corporations; global NGOs may be too far removed. It’s when they work together that information starts to flow back to the company, and change becomes possible.”

Opacity and its discontents

The word that keeps returning in Marc’s research is opacity. Global value chains, he says, were designed for efficiency and cost optimisation, not transparency. The result is a system in which even the most responsible companies often have no clear view of what happens at the far end of their supply networks. “We heard repeatedly that firms don’t even know when their suppliers subcontract to others. Even companies with the best intentions simply don’t know.”

One example he admires is Tony’s Chocolonely, a Dutch chocolate company founded to combat child labour in the cocoa industry. “They say it’s not bad if we find child labour, it’s bad if we don’t,” Marc explains. “They reward suppliers for identifying problems because that’s the only way to address them. They also work closely with local partners on the ground. That’s what many multinationals can’t do anymore because their chains are too large, too fragmented.”

The problem, he adds, is not just moral but structural. Globalisation’s architecture itself was built with different aims. “Human-rights issues in value chains are unintended consequences of how we designed them. You can’t simply retrofit ethics into a system engineered for extraction.”

During our conversation, I catch myself noticing how easily we default to top-down stories, where responsibility rests with a single leader or a single company. Marc disagrees with the simplicity of that view. “That’s common in research and politics,” he tells me. “But real systems are more tangled. You need to see all the actors involved, and the contradictions too.”

Responsibility without illusion

A recurring feature of Marc’s work is that it avoids the usual binaries; he is neither cynical about global systems nor naïve about their constraints. He sees the value in individual ethics: he is vegetarian, but he notes with a laugh that he is realistic about his limits. He notes that individual choices still matter, but only up to a point. The contrast is stark: recent estimates suggest that Elon Musk’s private jets alone emit around 5,500 tonnes of CO₂ a year, more than eight centuries’ worth of emissions for the average person globally. “It puts our individual efforts into perspective and shows why systemic change is imperative.”

For him, change happens through coalitions. Civil society groups, he points out, have their own interests too. “We frame them positively, but of course they have agendas. You have to keep that dialectic in mind.” Still, he finds reasons for hope: “You don’t need half of society to change things. Ten per cent is often enough to reach a tipping point.” There’s a quiet pragmatism in that idea. Responsibility isn’t a moral destination but a process of coordination, between firms, citizens, and institutions, that can slowly rewire how systems work.

From ethics to geopolitics

In his newer research, Marc scales that question up: what happens when multinational corporations themselves become geopolitical actors? “We call it quasi-sovereign corporate power,” he explains, referring to a concept he developed with his doctoral student Ziqiao Wang. “Companies like SpaceX or TSMC are no longer just businesses; they make decisions with geopolitical consequences.”

Marc Oberhauser and Ziqiao Wang standing in front of a large screen displaying their presentation on quasi-sovereign corporate power at the World Business Ethics Forum.

Marc Oberhauser and Ziqiao Wang presenting their work on quasi-sovereign corporate power at the World Business Ethics Forum in Macau.

When SpaceX provides satellite services to Ukraine, it effectively becomes part of the conflict. When TSMC, the world’s key chip manufacturer, anchors its production in Taiwan, it acts as a “silicon shield”, shaping the island’s strategic significance. “These companies and their CEOs are operating in spaces that used to belong to states. It’s a fundamental shift in where political power sits.”

This marks his second research pillar: how multinational enterprises navigate and sometimes create geopolitical tensions. One current project examines how firms respond to sanction regimes and policy fragmentation, showing that corporate strategy is now inseparable from global governance.

Europe at a crossroads

Nowhere is this tension more visible than in Europe. In his recent scenario work, Marc and his co-authors outline four possible futures for European multinationals, shaped by both global and intra-European dynamics: fractured regionalisation, fractured globalisation, reinforced globalisation, and reinforced regionalisation. ”

He sees the most likely outcome as fragmentation on both fronts, that is, within the EU and across the global system. “Politicians don’t manage to speak with one voice,” he says. “If Europe could get beyond that, it could become the third major power next to the US and China, stronger even in purchasing power. The problem is unity.”

Marc Oberhauser standing among rows of national flags outside the UN building in Geneva on a sunny day.

Marc Oberhauser at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, where global stakeholders discuss accountability across international value chains.

Marc is cautious about nostalgia for the old model of globalisation. What concerns him more is the mismatch between the short-term rhythms of democratic politics and the long-term commitments sustainability requires. It is a structural tension, he believes, and one that shapes how far collective responsibility can realistically go.

Responsibility in an age of power

Even though Marc’s work moves between disciplines, from business ethics, to international management, to political science, its through-line is remarkably consistent. It’s about how power circulates through systems, and how legitimacy is built when no single actor is in control. From companies apologising for misconduct to civil society networks uncovering hidden abuses, from cocoa farmers in Ghana to semiconductor giants in Taiwan, he traces the shifting boundaries between moral intention and political reality.

Marc often describes his approach as “lifting the view away from the corporate”, widening the frame to include the network of actors that shape responsibility. As we finish our conversation, I mention how difficult it can feel to imagine large-scale change in such a fragmented world. He acknowledges the challenge, but stays steady: meaningful shifts, he suggests, rarely begin with a majority. What matters is how actors coordinate across different parts of the system.

For him, the sense that progress depends less on sweeping transformation and more on how different groups, even small ones, align their efforts underpins the way he thinks about responsibility in global systems.

This article is based on a conversation between Marc Oberhauser and Kristina Vlasova held in November 2025.

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#2 How Tribunes, an ESCP student association, creates a space for students to learn, question, and commit to change

Episode 2
From the series "Standing together: ESCP community united against gender-based and sexual violence"

A conference designed to inform and raise awareness within the ESCP community

On 22 October 2025, Tribunes—ESCP’s student association dedicated to public debate—invited Maître Stéphane Babonneau and Maître Antoine Camus, the lawyers representing Gisèle Pélicot in a landmark sexual assault case, for a conference exploring its legal, human, and societal implications.

A conversation between Aurélie Dumond, Federal Head of Inclusion & Diversity at ESCP and Ariane Bailet and Antonin Rousseau, ESCP students and members of the student society Tribunes.

Aurélie: Why did you decide to invite attorneys Babonneau and Camus?

We chose to invite Maître Babonneau and Maître Camus for several reasons. First, because they played a central role in a complex and highly publicised trial, one that sheds light on a justice system that is often misunderstood and raises essential questions around consent. Their presence also allowed us to offer students a more human perspective on the work of lawyers—a profession often seen through the lens of the media, without really knowing the reality of their daily work, how they inhabit a case from the inside, or the deep relationship they develop with their clients.

We also wanted to be “at the heart of the debate,” in the literal sense of the Tribunes slogan, by placing ourselves within immediate current events: our conference took place only about ten days after the decision was handed down on appeal. The end of the judicial process was the perfect moment to revisit this exceptional case and offer an informed analysis within ESCP.

Finally, we aimed to make Tribunes a space for diverse reflection, not limited to political figures. As students aware of gender-based and sexual violence, we wanted to organise an event by and for students, to show that we are addressing these issues and feel responsible for contributing to the discussion. Welcoming Camus and Babonneau was also an opportunity to question them about their profession and better understand the French judicial system.

Aurélie: How did you prepare for the conference?

We followed a methodical and thorough preparation process. We began with a research and familiarisation phase that was essential to fully grasp the Pélicot case: understanding the facts—sometimes difficult and emotionally challenging to read—but necessary to appreciate the seriousness of the case. We also immersed ourselves in the background and public statements of our guests by watching numerous interviews and observing how they addressed legal questions. This helped us identify the key issues of the trial, whether related to procedure, closed hearings, the appeal, the role of judges and jurors, or developments in sexual violence law.

Once this solid foundation was established, each of us wrote around ten questions before pooling our proposals to build a coherent and relevant structure for the interview. Finally, as the conference approached, we refined the last details and practiced together to ensure a smooth, confident, and well-structured presentation.

Aurélie: What angle and types of questions did you prioritise?

Ariane:

We wanted to take a legal angle and make the most of having professionals in front of us. How does a lawyer come to represent Ms Pélicot? How does a trial unfold? What does lifting a closed hearing entail? How should we approach the notion of consent? What impact will this trial have on them and their careers? We were intent on doing things properly: respecting the case without falling into sensationalism, addressing heavy topics without causing harm.

Aurélie: What do you take away from the lawyers’ interventions?

Antonin:The great precision of the words they choose. Ariane: I was very moved by the trust they place in the justice system. They acknowledge its dysfunctions but remain convinced that only justice can provide solutions.

A student community committed to equality and the prevention of violence

Aurélie: How are younger generations engaging with the fight against gender-based and sexual violence?

Antonin: We grew up—and continue to grow up—in a context where speaking out is becoming more common, where social media makes these issues visible, and where the importance of consent, respect, and equality is increasingly understood.

Young people are taking ownership of these issues because they talk about them with one another, they seek information, they react when they witness injustice, and they no longer hesitate to take a stand. What used to be normalised is no longer tolerated.

There is still progress to be made, but clearly, our generation is more attentive, more aware, and more engaged in these matters.

Ariane:

There is a much earlier and more widespread awareness of this societal issue. This is due to the media coverage of cases, the growing number of opportunities to educate young people, and, more broadly, an ongoing struggle for equality between all individuals.

Today, anyone can denounce an injustice, give their opinion on an event, and defend their ideas.

The #MeToo movement is clear evidence of this shift toward widespread empowerment and expression.

Aurélie: What role can we play individually and collectively?

Antonin:

I believe we all have a role to play. Individually, we can act by staying informed, adopting respectful behaviours, and speaking up when we witness problematic situations.

Collectively, the goal is to create spaces for awareness, dialogue, and prevention, in order to build a culture of respect, consent, and equality. Everyone can contribute, at their own level, to changing mindsets.

Ariane: On a personal level, my commitment manifests through staying informed and being attentive to others.

Information first: I believe it is essential to stay updated on ongoing cases, existing debates, and to take the time to understand and analyse them. We cannot remain in ignorance, assuming that others will understand better or on our behalf.

Attention to others second: for me, this means having an attitude and disposition in daily interactions aimed at ensuring that others are always respected. It involves caring for friends and family, but also being vigilant in public spaces and on public transportation, for example. It is a gentle form of commitment, a refusal to remain passive in the face of abuse.

Collectively, this conference was one of our first forms of “public” commitment, and we are very proud of it.

At ESCP, the association Aware promotes equality for all and ensures student safety during events, such as parties.

We also appreciated the travelling exhibition by the Collectif Mots et Maux de Femmes that you organised, Aurélie!

Aurélie: In line with ESCP’s humanistic European values and educational mission, the objective of the exhibition was to raise awareness and educate students about gender-based and sexual violence as well as harassment. It is essential, as these behaviours harm lives, hinder equality, and perpetuate toxic cultures.

For the past two years, Mots et Maux de Femmes has been engaging young people on campuses to address this critical issue.

ESCP is mobilising through a traveling exhibition by the Collectif Mots et Maux de Femmes. Sharing this exhibition with the ESCP community underscores the institution's strong commitment to this cause and calls for unity in ensuring that no violence against women and girls is tolerated.

The exhibition started at the ESCP campus in Paris in February, travelled to Madrid in May, to London in October, and Berlin in November. The next and last stop will be Turin.

travelling exhibition

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Interview

#3 The role of publishing in addressing gender-based and sexual violence

An interview where ESCP faculty member Isabelle Beyneix and alumna Marie-Pierre Gracedieu discuss publishing’s role in addressing gender-based violence, following the release of Mazan: An Anthropology of a Rape Trial—part of ESCP’s Standing Together series.

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#4 Art in action: sharing ESCP staff competencies and creativity in addressing gender-based and sexual violence

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