Transnational Corporations and Human Rights

(Hardback)

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This volume offers a systematic overview of the different tools through which the human rights accountability of transnational corporations may be improved. It first examines the responsibility of States in controlling transnational corporations, emphasizing both the limits imposed by the protection of the rights of investors under investment treaties and the potential of the US Alien Tort Claims Act and other similar extra-territorial legislations. It then turns to self-regulation by transnational corporations, through the use of codes of conduct or international framework agreements. It then discusses recent attempts at the global level to improve the human rights accountability of corporations by the direct imposition on corporations of obligations under international law. Finally, it considers the use of public procurement policies or of conditionalities in the lending policies of multilateral lending institutions in order to incentivize TNCs to behave ethically. Altogether, the book offers a rigorous legal analysis of these different developments and critically appraises their potential.

Reviews

...De Schutter has succeeded in putting together a coherent book by approaching the issue along four avenues through which the impunity of corporations for human rights violations may be addressed... -- Nicola Jagers * Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights, Vol 26/3 *
This book gives an account of the different ways by which these new 'masters of the universe' can now be held bound by human rights obligations, with the different themes in the book being drawn together very well in the editor's interesting introduction. -- K D Ewing * European Human Rights Law Review 2 *
...contains contributions solely on the topic of corporations themost important challenge the international community is facing. -- Eric De Brabandere * Leiden Journal of International Law, 22-1 *

Author Bio

Olivier De Schutter is a Global Law Professor at New York University and Co-ordinator of the EU Network of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights. He is also a Professor at the University of Louvain (Belgium) and at the College of Europe (Natolin).