TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN GLOBAL POLITICS: CHALLENGES AND MECHANISMS OF INFLUENCE ON STATES

Abstract

The article examines the growing role of transnational corporations (TNCs) as key actors in the modern system of international relations, where they actively influence the formation of political, economic and social realities. The author outlines the mechanisms of influence, such as lobbying, control through global financial and information networks, shaping public opinion and cooperation with governments. The analysis focuses on examples from the European Union, the United States, and Ukraine, which is at war with Russia. Particular attention is paid to the interaction of states with corporations in wartime, including attracting investments, providing humanitarian aid and supplying military technologies.

The author establishes that TNCs, thanks to their financial resources and geopolitical influence, are becoming the drivers of globalisation, while creating new challenges for state sovereignty, economic balance and environmental safety. The author emphasises the role of corporations in setting political priorities through lobbying mechanisms, as seen in the case of BusinessEurope in the EU or the influence of corporations on electoral processes in the United States. At the same time, the article describes the measures taken by states to regulate TNCs, such as the adoption of the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act in Europe, antitrust investigations in the United States, and the promotion of international investment in Ukraine. The author concludes that the current interaction between states and corporations is ambiguous: on the one hand, it promotes innovation, investment and solving global challenges, and on the other hand, it threatens with monopolisation, excessive concentration of influence and increased inequality. The article offers recommendations for creating an effective balance between the interests of states and corporations, which is a key factor in ensuring sustainable development, especially in the context of global crises.