Announcing Publication of "Research Handbook on Human Rights and Business" (Surya Deva and David Birchal, eds., Edward Elgar, 2020))

I take a moment from our focus on the COVID-19 pandemic to announce the publication of Research Handbook on Human Rights and Business (Surya Deva and David Birchal, eds., Edward Elgar, 2020)) (ISBN: 978 1 78643 639 9) (eISBN: 978 1 78643 640 5). Surya and David have done a exemplary job of putting together a marvelous group of essays and deep engagements. I can say it no better than Olivier de Schutter (University of Louvain, Belgium and Member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights): "‘The debate on business and human rights has often been drowned in conceptual waters – duties vs. responsibilities, due diligence vs. sphere of influence, and so forth. This ambitious volume does not avoid these issues, but it goes much further: it captures the emerging practices and dilemmas facing business and governments. It is an indispensable tool to both researchers and activists.’" The book may be ordered here (book available July 2020)

Contributors include: D.D. Bradlow, H. Cantú Rivera, D. Cassel, L. Catá Backer, D. Chimisso dos Santos, J. Coleman, K.Y. Cordes, S. Deva, N. Jägers, L. Johnson, J. Kolieb, M. Krajewski, J. Kyriakakis, J. Letnar Černič, R. Mares, J. Martin, O. Martin-Ortega, C. Methven O’Brien, A. Naudé Fourie, J. Nolan, M.M. Rahim, J.G. Ruggie, S.L. Seck, B. Stephens, M.B. Taylor, T. Van Ho, M. van Huijstee, F. Wettstein, J. Wilde-Ramsing. 

The publisher's description provides a nice summary:

This authoritative Research Handbook brings together leading international scholars and practitioners to provide in-depth analysis of some of the most hotly debated topics and issues concerning the interface of human rights and business.  In addition to offering critical insights on the historical evolution of the business and human rights field and its relationship with the domain of corporate social responsibility, contributions to this comprehensive Research Handbook are split into several thematic parts to facilitate cohesive analysis. Chapters explore the themes of corporate human rights due diligence, regulatory role of states, human rights’ intersection with trade, investment and finance, heightened risks for certain groups and contexts, and corporate accountability. Containing a detailed examination of the challenges and the potential solutions in the field, the Research Handbook on Human Rights and Business will be an indispensable resource for scholars, researchers, policy makers and practitioners working at the intersection of business and human rights.

Information about the book follows below.

My own contribution (pre-publication), "Human Rights Responsibilities of State Owned Enterprises," may be accessed here. 

Download Leaflet HERE

 Contents:

1. From ‘Business or Human Rights’ to ‘Business and Human Rights’: What Next?
Surya Deva

A. Human Rights and Business: History and Evolution
2. The History of ‘Business and Human Rights’ and its Relationship with ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’
Florian Wettstein

3. The Rise and Fall of the Alien Tort Statute
Beth Stephens

4. The Social Construction of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
John Gerard Ruggie

B. Corporate Human Rights Due Diligence
5. Human Rights Due Diligence in Theory and Practice
Mark B. Taylor

6. Human Rights Due Diligence and the (Over)-Reliance on Social Auditing in Supply Chains
Justine Nolan and Nana Frishling

7. Humanizing the Global Supply Chain: Building a ‘Decent Work’ Environment in the Ready-made Garments Supply Industry in Bangladesh
Mia Rahim

8. Human Rights Due Diligence and Extractive Industries
Daniela Chimisso Dos Santos and Sara L. Seck

C. Regulatory Role and Tools of States
9. The Use of Disclosure-Based Regulation to Advance the State’s Duty to Protect
Jena Martin

10. State Jurisdiction over Transnational Business Activity Affecting Human Rights
Doug Cassel

11. Human Rights Responsibilities of State Owned Enterprises
Larry Catá Backer

12. Missing a Golden Opportunity: Human Rights and Public Procurement
Claire Methven O’Brien and Olga Martin-Ortega

D. Human Rights’ Interaction with Trade, Investment and Finance
13. Framing the Broader Context of Business and Human Rights: The Impact of Trade Agreements on Human Rights
Markus Krajewski

14. Human Rights Law and the Investment Treaty Regime
Jesse Coleman, Kaitlin Y. Cordes and Lise Johnson

15. The Multilateral Development Banks and the Management of the Human Rights Impacts of their Operations
Danny Bradlow and Andria Naude Fourie

E. Heightened Human Rights Risks: Groups and/or Operating Context
16. Business and Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights
Jernej Letnar Černič

17. Protecting the Most Vulnerable: Embedding Children’s Rights in the Business and Human Rights Project
Jonathan Kolieb

18. Business and Human Rights in Transitional Justice: Challenges for Complex Environments
Tara Van Ho

F. Access to Remedy and Corporate Accountability: Opportunities and Challenges
19. Access to Effective Remedy: The Role of Information
Nicola Jägers

20. The Role of Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders in Corporate Accountability
David Birchall

21. Liability within Corporate Groups: Parent Company’s Accountability for Subsidiary Human Rights Abuses
Radu Mares

22. The Relationship Between Non-Judicial Grievance Mechanisms and Access to Remedy for Business-Related Human Rights Abuses
Mariëtte van Huijstee and Joseph Wilde-Ramsing

23. National Human Rights Institutions and their (Extended) Role in the Business and Human Rights Field
Humberto Cantú Rivera

24. Atrocities and Victim Redress: The Opportunities and Challenges of International Criminal Justice
Joanna Kyriakakis

Index