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The Case for Leverage-Based Corporate Human Rights Responsibility

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  • Wood, Stepan

Abstract

Should companies’ human rights responsibilities arise, in part, from their “leverage”—their ability to influence others’ actions through their relationships? Special Representative John Ruggie rejected this proposition in the United Nations Framework for business and human rights. I argue that leverage is a source of responsibility where there is a morally significant connection between the company and a rights-holder or rights-violator, the company is able to make a contribution to ameliorating the situation, it can do so at modest cost, and the threat to human rights is substantial. In such circumstances companies have a responsibility to exercise leverage even though they did nothing to contribute to the situation. Such responsibility is qualified, not categorical; graduated, not binary; context-specific; practicable; consistent with the social role of business; and not merely a negative responsibility to avoid harm but a positive responsibility to do good.

Suggested Citation

  • Wood, Stepan, 2012. "The Case for Leverage-Based Corporate Human Rights Responsibility," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(1), pages 63-98, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:buetqu:v:22:y:2012:i:01:p:63-98_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Matthew Murphy & Jordi Vives, 2013. "Perceptions of Justice and the Human Rights Protect, Respect, and Remedy Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(4), pages 781-797, September.
    2. Björn Fasterling & Geert Demuijnck, 2013. "Human Rights in the Void? Due Diligence in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(4), pages 799-814, September.
    3. Ake Okechukwu, 2021. "A Theoretical Appraise of the Rights of Human and Robots in the Emerging Nigerian Industrial Environment," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 5(10), pages 727-735, October.
    4. Onyeka K. Osuji & Ugochukwu L. Obibuaku, 2016. "Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility: Competing or Complementary Approaches to Poverty Reduction and Socioeconomic Rights?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 329-347, June.
    5. Matthew Amengual & Rita Mota & Alexander Rustler, 2023. "The ‘Court of Public Opinion:’ Public Perceptions of Business Involvement in Human Rights Violations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(1), pages 49-74, June.
    6. Wettstein, Florian & Giuliani, Elisa & Santangelo, Grazia D. & Stahl, Günter K., 2019. "International business and human rights: A research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 54-65.
    7. Tadhg Ó Laoghaire, 2023. "Why (Some) Corporations Have Positive Duties to (Some of) the Global Poor," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 184(3), pages 741-755, May.
    8. Mende, Janne, 2020. "Business authority in global governance: Beyond public and private," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Global Governance SP IV 2020-103, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    9. Rashmi Venkatesan, 2019. "The UN Framework on Business and Human Rights: A Workers’ Rights Critique," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(3), pages 635-652, July.
    10. Tricia D. Olsen & Laura Bernal-Bermúdez, 2024. "Uncovering Economic Complicity: Explaining State-Led Human Rights Abuses in the Corporate Context," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 189(1), pages 35-54, January.
    11. Leandro Martins Zanitelli, 2013. "Corporate Moral Duties: Consequentialism, Collective Moral Agency and the “Ought†Implies “Can†Maxim," International Journal of Business and Social Research, LAR Center Press, vol. 3(11), pages 17-29, November.
    12. Karin Buhmann, 2016. "Public Regulators and CSR: The ‘Social Licence to Operate’ in Recent United Nations Instruments on Business and Human Rights and the Juridification of CSR," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(4), pages 699-714, July.
    13. John E. Katsos & Yass AlKafaji, 2019. "Business in War Zones: How Companies Promote Peace in Iraq," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 41-56, March.
    14. Mende, Janne, 2022. "Business authority in global governance: Beyond public and private," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Global Governance SP IV 2020-103r, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, revised 2022.
    15. Leandro Martins Zanitelli, 2013. "Corporate Moral Duties: Consequentialism, Collective Moral Agency and the “Ought†Implies “Can†Maxim," International Journal of Business and Social Research, MIR Center for Socio-Economic Research, vol. 3(11), pages 17-29, November.

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