Around the world, concern is growing about expanding corporate power. Large corporations are increasing their influence on public institutions and public policy; corporate power is eroding democratic processes and diminishing the power of people and communities. The world’s richest 1% now own more wealth than 95% of humanity, and much of this wealth is deeply tied to corporate structures. A third of the world’s largest 50 corporations are now run by a billionaire or have a billionaire as a principal shareholder. This concentration of wealth places corporations in a unique historical position with power to shape public institutions and public policy for their benefit, i.e. corporations are capturing the “public good” to maximise their profits.

Supporters of corporate power argue that these economic entities provide innovation, jobs, and economic growth which trickles down to benefit society. But with corporate profits surging while human suffering from climate change, war, pandemics, and economic precarity worsen, the societal dangers of concentrating wealth among economic elites and their corporate entities are becoming more clear.

The influence of corporate power is particularly acute in Ireland, where a strong reliance on foreign direct investment (FDI) has given large multi-national corporations (MNCs) a unique level of political capital and public legitimacy. Corporate contributions to employment, economic growth and taxation are widely represented as essential to Ireland’s economic prosperity. For decades, a ‘pro big business’ political mentality and corporate-friendly policy agenda has penetrated public institutions and policy discourse. However, decades of underinvestment in public services and in community-based infrastructure has led to growing economic insecurity, deteriorating ecological health, and widening resentment towards the government’s prioritisation of corporate interests over the needs of the public.

Despite the social, economic, and environmental risks Ireland faces from its reliance on a handful of MNCs, these corporations have been effective (so far) in maintaining their influence on Ireland’s public support for corporations. Industry representatives and corporate actors are established partners across public institutions and policy spaces, and corporate representatives are regarded as vital technical, advisory and research resources to the State. These intimate relationships, however, are often underplayed in reports and public discourse, with few in-depth analyses on the scale, scope, influence and adverse impacts of corporate power on political economic decision-making.

In response to this gap, this report reviews the scope of corporate power in Ireland by mapping how corporations actively seek to shape government policies and economic priorities. This analysis includes a review of recent investigations of corporate power in Ireland through a sector-by-sector approach, synthesising publicly available advocacy reports, investigative journalist articles, think tank documents and public reports across key areas of Irish society. The aim is to map the pervasive influence of corporate interests in shaping Ireland’s political and economic priorities, and offer a resource for those seeking to understand and contest the role of corporations in shaping the distribution of resources.

First, the report provides brief historical context of the relationship between the Irish state and corporations that has developed over decades. Second, the report reviews the multiple ways that corporate power shapes Ireland’s political-economic structures across sectors. The sectors included in this review are: big tech and data centres; pharmaceuticals and health; farming and agriculture; food and drinks; banking and financial services; construction and housing; education and research; energy fossil fuels and mineral extraction; gambling; military; and plastics. Then a section describes the societal risks of corporate capture exploring the revolving door between public officials and private industry and explaining why confronting corporate capture has been, and continues to be, so difficult. The report concludes by acknowledging the international impact on the global landscape of corporate power in Ireland and how the rise of corporate power is contributing to the rise of authoritarianism around the world.

The information synthesised in this report is not exhaustive. Additional sectors in need of review include transport and mobility (including cars and roads), care (nursing homes and elder care), water infrastructure, media/public relations firms etc. Among the sectors explored here, many additional resources and examples could have been included. This review is an initial effort that we hope will be expanded upon and continued. The information in this report is, therefore, incomplete and an underestimation of the true extent and impact of corporate power in Ireland; but this report provides insights into the patterns of how corporate power operates.

Despite legislation at the national and EU levels to support transparency in lobbying, in-depth scrutiny of corporate influence across policy processes in Ireland remains underdeveloped and opaque. By providing a synthesis of what is known about corporate power across a broad range of sectors, the intent of this report is to support collective efforts to resist corporate power and to reclaim the public good mission of public institutions and policies in Ireland. This is a resource for those who are engaged in challenging the aspects of the current political and economic systems that are concentrating wealth and power in the hands of corporate actors.

In this time of increasing volatility and disruption, Ireland has an opportunity to change course and develop a new strategy that strengthens democratic processes by reducing corporate power. To reclaim its collective commitment to social justice and human rights, changes are needed to constrain corporate power. Strengthening Ireland’s democratic processes and constraining corporate power are intricately linked. Instead of continuing to fuel the expansion of corporate power, Ireland could invest more strongly and strategically in the many vibrant and creative community-based initiatives happening across the country. Strengthening “people power” in Ireland is essential for a just, healthy and peaceful future.