Over the last decades, encouragement of business engagement with environmental and socio-economic development has gained prominence due to the perceived weakening of states and multilateral institutions against the forces of global capitalism. Different ways of encouraging changes in business behavior have been promoted, such as the formation of public/private partnerships, corporate social responsibility initiatives, and other forms of non-binding organizational arrangements. However, there is no real consensus on the desired role of business in development, what the best policies for global development are, or what “development” itself is and should be defined as. Indeed, precisely as a formal consensus has been reached on the broad agenda of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a narrower agenda focusing on industrialization, modernization, and economic growth is promoted by new actors, many originating in the Global South. This special issue asks how the emergence of new actors and the adaptation by global institutions affect the ways in which business engages with development. This introductory article positions the issue's contributions into three discussions: exploring issues of global coherence and division on key debates; understanding how new actors are reshaping the public-private divide; and assessing how disconnects within discourse on business and development can amplify negative societal consequences in fragile settings of weak governance.

中文翻译：

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朝着实现发展目标的全球企业参与？不断变化的全球资本主义中的多边机构和可持续发展目标

在过去的几十年里，由于国家和多边机构对全球资本主义力量的削弱，鼓励企业参与环境和社会经济发展变得越来越重要。鼓励改变商业行为的不同方式得到了推广，例如形成公私合作伙伴关系、企业社会责任倡议和其他形式的不具约束力的组织安排。然而，对于企业在发展中的预期作用、全球发展的最佳政策是什么，或者“发展”本身是什么以及应该被定义为什么，并没有真正达成共识。事实上，正如已就联合国可持续发展目标的广泛议程达成正式共识一样，关注工业化的狭义议程，现代化和经济增长是由新的参与者推动的，其中许多来自全球南方。本期特刊探讨新参与者的出现和全球机构的适应如何影响企业参与发展的方式。这篇介绍性文章将该问题的贡献分为三个讨论：探索全球一致性问题和关键辩论的分歧；了解新参与者如何重塑公私鸿沟；评估商业和发展话语中的脱节如何在治理薄弱的脆弱环境中放大负面社会后果。本期特刊探讨新参与者的出现和全球机构的适应如何影响企业参与发展的方式。这篇介绍性文章将该问题的贡献分为三个讨论：探索全球一致性问题和关键辩论的分歧；了解新参与者如何重塑公私鸿沟；评估商业和发展话语中的脱节如何在治理薄弱的脆弱环境中放大负面社会后果。本期特刊探讨新参与者的出现和全球机构的适应如何影响企业参与发展的方式。这篇介绍性文章将该问题的贡献分为三个讨论：探索全球一致性问题和关键辩论的分歧；了解新参与者如何重塑公私鸿沟；评估商业和发展话语中的脱节如何在治理薄弱的脆弱环境中放大负面社会后果。