From Voluntary to Obligatory

This chapter examines what corporations say they are doing to address human rights risks presented by particular business practices in particular contexts. It offers an overview of the different strategies being used by transnational business enterprises to respond to concerns expressed by investors, consumers, and affected communities. Among the self-regulation strategies used by businesses examined are participation in multistakeholder initiatives designed to address human rights issues, human rights impact assessments, audits and certifications, supply chain contract provisions, and corporate responses to ratings and reports by concerned stakeholder constituencies. The chapter presents the findings of a discourse analysis of codes created by competing corporations in selected industry sectors assessing over time the extent to which codes incorporate reference to human rights standards and refer to emerging self-regulation strategies. Corporate responses to allegations of complicity in abuse are analyzed. The chapter argues that the discursive frame asserted by corporate responsibility incorporating rights increasingly treats voluntary norms as obligatory to maintaining a “social license” to operate.

Human Rights Conflicts and the Creation of Corporate Responsibility Collaborations

This chapter provides comparative accounts of the creation of industry sector–specific regulatory instruments and governance institutions arising from allegations of corporate complicity in human rights abuses after conflicts with concerned constituencies and affected communities. The selected case studies demonstrate that there are consequences for conduct inconsistent with social expectations for business. The chapter considers cases originating in emerging market economies and complex operating environments, comparing the advocacy strategies of human rights activists and corporate responses. Cases studied include: the controversial role of transnational corporations in the internet communications technology sector in censorship and surveillance practices and the risks presented to the right to freedom of expression and the right to privacy; the relationship of transnational corporations in the pharmaceutical sector to human rights and the risks presented to the right to health and the right to life when access to essential medicines is compromised; and the relationship of transnational corporations in the extractives sector to human rights and the risks presented to human security when extractive sector companies contract with security forces that abuse violent force and use deadly force to silence dissent. The chapter explains how conflicts over corporate complicity in alleged abuses served to catalyze the creation of the different industry-specific multistakeholder initiatives, including: the Global Network Initiative, a private multistakeholder project to promote more responsible business practices; the Accelerating Access Initiative, a global public-private partnership to increase access to affordable medicines and create change; and the Voluntary Principles on Security, a tripartite multistakeholder initiative to address security and human rights. This chapter will show that crisis appears to serve as a catalyst for change.

Bridge-Building for Social Transformation in Sport for Development and Peace

The need for new and evidence-based solutions for mobilizing stakeholders and resources in sport for development and peace (SDP) is increasingly emphasized in a number of recent policy documents including the Kazan Action Plan and a set of publications by the Commonwealth Secretariat. This paper provides a response to these calls for the development of mechanisms and toolkits to support multistakeholder collaboration. We draw on our combined experiences in SDP research, practice, and funding to identify how multistakeholder initiatives in SDP can be better leveraged. Specifically, we discuss how Brown’s (2015) five elements of bridge-building for social transformation, namely, compelling and locally relevant goals; cross-boundary leadership systems; generative theories of change; systems enabling and protecting innovation; and investment in institutionalizing change, apply in the SDP domain. The practical framework we have outlined provides a common ground and starting point to build upon for generating improved synergies among a multitude of stakeholders.

Introduction

Public-private partnerships (PPPs), multistakeholder initiatives (MSIs), and other close relationships with industry actors have become the paradigm in public health. Nowhere is this more evident than in the food and beverage sector. Public officials tend to downplay the ethical perils of these arrangements, and sometimes they fail to recognize them at all. The chapter explores the terminology and taxonomies of public-private partnerships and the justifications offered for these kinds of interactions. It outlines the main concerns and theoretical contributions of the book and provides a summary of the chapters to assist policymakers and other readers who wish to be more selective in their reading of the text. This book is intended to help public health officials (among others) develop comprehensive strategies to counter industry influence and pilot alternatives to PPPs.