This article challenges an argument from Tom Donaldson’s recent book The Ethics of International Business with a claim that distributive justice, deemed in many circles to impose a duty of mutual aid on individuals and nations, establishes a basis for holding multinational corporations to such a duty as well. The root idea I advocate is that Rawls’ theory of justice can be deployed – beyond its original intent yet in line with its spirit – to underwrite aprima facie obligation of international business to render aid to ameliorate suffering on behalf of the inhabitants of developing countries in which they operate.
