Could the private sector play a role in arresting democratic backsliding? What South Africa teaches us

How, if at all, might business play a role in arresting a process of democratic backsliding?The good news is that, given the right circumstances, business can be a surprisingly progressive political actor, on occasion even being willing to go up against ahostile state to pursue a long-term set of social and political objectives. This flies in the face of widely held beliefs about business as always and only focused on short-term profits and elite interests, narrowly defined.The bad news is twofold: First, that a business will only act in defence of democracy if it is the right kind of firm and finds itself in the right circumstances. The necessary criteria here are circumscribed and may be growing increasingly rare. Second, even where it does take a pro-democratic position, a firm or business community will be acting, not in the interests of democracy per se, but in service of securing the grounds for business writ large to flourish. Put differently, business’ political agenda may overlap but not neatly coincide with the agenda of democratic activists