Reframing Business as Collective Economic Agency: A Systemic Shift Toward Peoples’ Rights

In a context marked by declining trust in multilateral institutions, deepening inequality, and accelerating ecological crises, dominant economic paradigms continue to undermine the collective foundations of human and peoples’ rights. This article argues that neoliberal conceptions of business grounded in profit maximization and shareholder primacy have contributed significantly to the erosion of self-determination, economic sovereignty, and social cohesion. In response, the paper proposes a normative redefinition of business as an entity that solves social issues and creates social value in a financially sustainable way, reframing business as a form of collective economic agency rather than a purely private actor. Drawing on systems thinking, environmental psychology, trauma- informed leadership research, and Indigenous wellbeing economies, the article develops a multidimensional framework that reconnects economic activity with human dignity, ecological limits, and collective rights. Through an examination of cooperative movements such as Mondragón, the Brazilian Landless Workers’ Movement, and the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, alongside an in-depth case study of Tianmei World Academy, the paper illustrates how this redefinition can be operationalized in practice. It further explores implications for peoples’ rights, peacebuilding, and multilateral governance, arguing that reimagining business as a public, regenerative function offers a viable pathway toward a rights-based economy aligned with justice, solidarity, and peace.