thinking about profit and public goods

in a class on research methods yesterday we were talking briefly about UNAIDS, the innovative new integration of several UN organizations (WHO, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP and others) to tackle HIV/AIDS. i am starting research on global public-private partnerships and UNAIDS is a significant example, and so i mentioned that private organizations are also part of this project, like coke for example. as people expressed skepticism about the role of for-profit organizations joining public-policy projects, i threw out some of the reasons this happens not infrequently, but all the time. huge on the list is brand image and 'giving back'. but i also said that coke explains its attempt to rid africa of aids in rational homo-economicus terms - if AIDS (continues to) decimate the market in africa, coke loses that market. ooh, that caused quite a chill and exclamations of "wow thats callous." the truth is, well there are several truths. one truth is that coka-cola is the largest private employer in africa and it trully is in their economic best interest to provide treatment to their workers and systematically cure the continent of the decimating pandemic. another truth is that they, and other companies participating in their own projects for global improvement of some sort, have been pushed to do so by vocal demands by consumers. brand image is incredibly powerful but not impenetrable and their sensitivity to protest campaigns is a significant tool regularly and necessarily exploited those concerned about corporate (ir)responsibility. and because we raise hell the coca-colas of the world partner with projects as promising as UNAIDS. we shouldnt expect them to do it for reasons beyond economic rationality, instead we should continue to shape their incentives. that takes constant observation and pressure. with vigilant skepticism the for-profit world can be a powerful (indeed at many times necessary) partner in the pursuit of public goods.

(i am really happy with the direction my research is going! still a whole lot of ground work to do before i get anywhere near a full proposal, but im increasingly excited about the issue area, so im pretty sure i have at least that much right. thankgoodness.)