Fighting Corporate Capture
Our Current Initiatives Include
Corporations should not be allowed to buy influence over our government and rig the rules in their favor.
Corporate capture of our public institutions is one of the biggest threats to democracy and to the protection of human rights. When corporations have outsized influence over legislative and regulatory bodies, courts, and elections, they can successfully evade accountability and manipulate the State into putting corporate profits ahead of the public interest.
The results of corporate capture are devastating. For instance, important environmental protections have been gutted to benefit the fossil fuel industry and key labor protections reversed to allow companies to benefit at workers’ expense. It is imperative that we monitor and push back against the corporate capture of our democratic institutions.
At ICAR, we advocate for rules to rein in corporate power and influence and ensure government works for the people, not wealthy corporate elites.
Updates & Analysis
ICAR is pleased to share a new Just Security article published today entitled "American Businesses Still Face International Human Rights Obligations, Even as Oversight Diminishes at Home" written by our Legal & Policy Director Nicole Vander Meulen.
A new augmented reality art installation will be unveiled today during the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights at the UN Headquarters in Geneva. The groundbreaking piece, entitled ICARUS, is the work of award-winning artist Peter Wu+, and was commissioned by ICAR as the latest installation of the Capitol, Inc. project.
At ICAR, we work to unveil corporate influence and advocate for policies that help combat the rise of the corporate State. Watch this video to learn more about how and why we do this.
As a part of our fight to get corporations out of the government, The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable hosted its first ever Invisible DC Block Party on June 8th at the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Through our Capitol, Inc. campaign, ICAR brings together art and technology to unveil the invisible force of corporate influence in Washington D.C. and around the globe. Watch these videos to hear from the inspiring artists behind two of the augmented reality art installations we commissioned for this project.
The recent leak of more than 120,000 confidential files from Uber—which exposed the tech giant’s secret lobbying and powerful government alliances—has drawn significant public attention to the power, and problem, of corporate influence over governments and public officials around the globe.
On June 8th, 2022, ICAR hosted an “Invisible DC Block Party” on the National Mall in Washington D.C. to raise awareness about corporate capture. The event showcased four augmented reality art installations that reveal how deep corporate influence runs in Washington D.C. Watch this event video to learn more.
As part of ICAR’s Capitol, Inc. Campaign, four new augmented reality art pieces will be unveiled today on iconic Washington landmarks including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, highlighting corporate and government abuse of people and the planet.
Big money and corporate power dictate how agricultural workers are treated, how our food is grown, whether family farmers are able to earn a living, and whether rural communities thrive or decline. Read our fact sheet to learn more about how agricultural powerhouses manipulate policy in their favor and sabotage progress on a host of social justice issues.
The climate crisis we are currently facing is largely a product of the notoriously profit-hungry fossil fuel industry. They knew about the climate risks 60 years ago and spent billions to cover up the truth, all to protect their profits. Read our fact sheet to learn more unchecked political influence within the oil & gas the industry that is being used manipulate the government into prioritizing industry profits above public interest.
For-profit corporations are involved in nearly every aspect of the criminal justice and immigration systems in the United States. Private prison have a powerful financial incentive both to cut corners when it comes to the services they provide, and to push for policies that fuel mass incarceration. Read our fact sheet to learn more.
This policy memo provides an overview of some of the core ways corporations exert influence over government in the United States and discusses legislation and policy solutions that would help start to rein in corporate influence and combat corporate capture.
New Administration’s Crack-down on Shadow Lobbying and Golden Parachutes Reflects ICAR’s Recent Recommendations