Phil Mattera

April 27, 2012 - Wal-Mart has been accused of bribery in Mexico, but its behavior is far from unique: Many major corporations have been charged under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a U.S. law passed in response to an oft-forgotten aspect of the Watergate scandal of the 1970s.

March 23, 2012 - A bill originally sponsored by ethics-challenged Congressman Stephen Fincher of Tennessee is being hailed as helping small businesses and workers, but watchdogs warn that it will erode transparency and pave the way for more corporate skullduggery.

March 13, 2012 - As an ongoing case involving the parent company of Houston-based Shell Oil illustrates, conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court appear to want to put an end to the Alien Tort Claims Act, a key tool for holding corporations accountable for human rights violations.

February 27, 2012 - Caterpillar's recent decision to build a $200 million plant in the right-to-work state of Georgia illustrates the limits of the heralded U.S. industrial recovery.

February 22, 2012 - In her recent State of the State address, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley declared that unions were "not welcome" there -- part of a broader national assault against organized labor.

February 6, 2012 - Why is a corporation that may soon have a market value of $100 billion persuading struggling communities like Rutherford County, N.C. to fork over taxpayer-financed subsidies?

January 18, 2012 - The frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination speaks out against government dependency, but companies acquired by his Bain Capital firm sought taxpayer handouts in the form of subsidies from local governments and states including Louisiana, North Carolina and Florida.