Photo: E. Dronkert CC BY 2.0People have the right to know on what information and with the influence of which (corporate) actors decisions are made. Lobby transparency is crucial. For this reason, SOMO is transparent about its own lobby activities activities and studies the lobby activities of multinationals.
We conduct research that discloses corporate capture of policy development and analyses the structures in which processes for policy development are structurally biased by corporate interests that prevail over social and ecological interests. Also SOMO together with other civil society organisations initiated the Dutch LobbyWatch Network. This network aims to increase lobby transparency and improve democratic decision making.
read more lessToday’s economic system is a system driven by shareholder value and the interests of large corporations: it maximises their profits, often ignoring the social and environmental costs. The current globalised world does not offer a sustainable level playing field, and as a result, corporations are caught in a race to the bottom.
SOMO wants to contribute to a fair economic system, in which corporations and investors contribute to financing public goods and services, and governments and institutions implement adequate checks and balances, serving social and ecological interests.
Private gain, public loss
SOMO’s research reveals how the current economic and financial system perpetuates economic inequality, and how it exacerbates the power imbalance between the private sector and civil society. Through corporate tax avoidance. Through trade and investment agreements that give companies the right to sue governments for enacting sound social policy. Through a volatile financial system that is increasingly disconnected from the real economy. It is a system of private gain and public loss that leaves ordinary people paying the price.
Our focus is on the social and economic impact of tax treaties and regimes, trade and investment mechanisms and agreements, and the practices and lobby of the financial sector. We pay particular attention to the impact of Dutch and EU policies on low-income countries, examining the degree to which they cohere with sustainable development policies and human rights frameworks.
Economic changes
We work with others in the Netherlands, in Europe, and across the globe, to adapt the economic system, so it serves the public interest and facilitates a more equitable distribution of resources. We want people to be able to control their own economic circumstances, through democratic processes with adequate checks and balances.
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