A Comparative Analysis of Stakeholder Dialogue Regimes
PI: Shareen Hertel
Stakeholder dialogues are integral to conflict negotiation in business settings worldwide. They are a central tool in the business and human rights field, legitimated and professionalized in the early 2000s during the mandate of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Business & Human Rights, John G. Ruggie. This project analyzes the scope of stakeholder dialogues taking place globally (drawing on the 6,000 company dataset of the New York and London-based Business & HR Resource Centre); explores the historical evolution of varying forms of public dialogue around business harm and benefits from the 1970s to present; develops a two-company in-depth case study of successful and failed stakeholder dialogues in a single industry and geographic region; and explores concrete mechanisms for enhancing the practice and content of stakeholder consultation with a view toward empowering the most vulnerable among workers and community members.
FEATURED PUBLICATION
CONFERENCE
October 5-6, 2017 | Protecting Rights at the End of the Line: Stakeholder Engagement in Light Manufacturing
On October 5-6, 2017, the UConn Business and Human Rights Initiative hosted a conference titled "Protecting Rights at the End of the Line: Stakeholder Engagement in Light Manufacturing". The conference explored the opportunities and challenges for meaningful stakeholder engagement in light manufacturing. Scholars, advocates, and professionals took part in a comprehensive discussion of specific tools and strategies, and examined concrete examples of empowered community engagement.
For more information about the conference, please see:
- A detailed description of the conference's rationale and objectives
- The participants' biographies
- A highlight video of the conference
- A compilation of resources referenced during the conference
- Short documentary on visual art exhibit mounted by UConn Archives in conjunction with the conference ("Lifting The Veil: An Exhibition of the U.Roberto Romano Papers")
For news coverage of the conference, please see:
- "Protecting the Vulnerable" (October 26, 2017; UConn School of Business)
- An interview with Professor Shareen Hertel (October 3, 2017; UConn Honors Program)
The Initiative has published a White Paper, authored by Deborah Leipziger, that outlines and elaborates on the conference's discussions:
- The press release
- The White Paper