The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implications for Corporate Social Responsibility Research

Abstract

This article presents a review of the literature on the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) for the purpose of situating the UNGPs in the voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) infrastructure. We identify four key themes that underlie the debate: (1) a critical assessment of the UNGPs, (2) their application to different sectors, (3) a discussion of how to embed key aspects of the UNGPs into national and regional contexts, and (4) reflections on the role of due diligence. We discuss these themes and outline some practical and theoretical take-away messages. Our review highlights some similarities and differences to the discussion of voluntary initiatives in the field of CSR, especially the UN Global Compact. Our discussion helps to understand how the UNGPs are situated in the voluntary institutional infrastructure for CSR. Finally, we show how the theoretical and practical discourse on the UNGPs can be further advanced.

Human Rights: A Promising Perspective for Business & Society

“…This is a fruitful context to examine the role of and interaction between state and business in formulating such governance schemes and their content (Schrempf-Stirling & Wettstein, 2021). This point is confirmed by a recent literature review by Rasche and Waddock (2021, p. 14), who conclude that the NGPs will play an important role in the future development of the institutional infrastructure underlying CSR, because they provide a clear and widely acknowledged reference point for defining the roles and responsibilities of different groups of actors that are involved in closing some of the omnipresent global governance gaps that surround all of us.…”

Government support to Pakistani women entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…support to Pakistani women some organizations signed a partnership with the governing bodies to empower women entrepreneurs (Noor et al, 2021). However, legislative rights are not properly exercised by the government bodies to empower women at root level (Rasche and Waddock, 2021).…”

Shared Responsibility and Labor Rights in Global Supply Chains

“…By and large, such private regulatory schemes spurred a growing debate over their efficacy, as evidence for their limited impact on global labor standards became apparent (Locke, 2013;Barrientos & Smith, 2007;O'Rouke, 2003). Particular scholarly attention was given to John Ruggie's widely accepted UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGP), endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2011 (OHCHR 2011), which reinforced the nonbinding responsibility of firms and were similarly criticized for their limited impact on workers' rights (Dahan et al, 2016;Rasche & Waddock, 2021). Many labor governance scholars and activists viewed private regulations not only as inadequate but also as preempting and crowding out more stringent forms of public regulation intended to secure labor standards in GSCs (Bartley, 2005;Locke et al, 2009;Gereffi, 2018;Jenkins 2005;O'Rourke, 2003O'Rourke, , 2006Seidman, 2007;Posthuma & Nathan, 2010).…”