What a “citizen” transnational corporation does to citizens. The managerialization of employee commitments in Mexico

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To what extent do corporations shape legitimate forms of political and social participation? This is a question that has been little explored in the past but has now become more prevalent. Indeed, the rise of ‘ethical’ capitalism and the efforts of companies to encourage their employees to make commitments, in the orbit of ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR) policies, are impacting on traditional forms of industrial citizenship, namely trade unionism and collective representation. Based on observations and interviews conducted at a transnational sports retailer in Mexico, this article highlights a process of managerialization of civic practices. Rather than celebrating the diversity of ways in which employees are involved, the company manages them in a differentiated and hierarchical way: while CSR practices are promoted and presented as enabling the corporation to fulfil its civic mission, the implementation of collective employee representation remains largely illusory, despite the institutional changes provided by the Mexican government’s reform of labour relations.