From the article: Businesses are often implicated in human rights violations. In response, governments, NGOs, and philanthropists have attempted to reduce human rights abuses by corporations through various top-down, formal, global initiatives.1 Industry-led initiatives have also become a common corporate response to external stakeholders’ concerns of corporate malfeasance. To avoid costly litigation and deleterious reputational effects, specific business sectors (e.g., the apparel industry, the extractive industry, the chemicals industry) have created their own codes of conduct in response to potential regulation or notable crises. In addition, non-governmental organizations such as the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre have sought to bring victims and alleged corporate violators in dialogue to remedy harm and deter future violations.

Part of the Korbel School’s “Quickfacts” series, which concisely explores the policy-relevant dynamics that characterize contemporary security challenges.

Erica Chenoweth and Tricia D. Olsen