Accountability, International Business Operations and the Law : Providing Justice for Corporate Human Rights Violations in Global Value Chains

A consensus has emerged that corporations have societal and environmental responsibilities when operating transnationally. However, how exactly corporations can be held legally accountable for their transgressions, if at all, is less clear.

This volume inquires how regulatory tools stemming from international law, public law, and private law may or may not be used for transnational corporate accountability purposes. Attention is devoted to applicable standards of liability, institutional and jurisdictional issues, and practical challenges, with a focus on ways to improve the existing legal status quo. In addition, there is consideration of the extent to which non-legal regulatory instruments may complement or provide more viable alternatives to these legal mechanisms. The book combines legaldoctrinal approaches with comparative, interdisciplinary, and policy insights with the dual aim of furthering the legal scholarly debate on these issues and enabling higher quality decision-making by policymakers seeking to implement regulatory measures that enhance corporate accountability in this context. Through its study of contemporary developments in legislation and case law, it provides a timely and important contribution to the scholarly and sociopolitical debate in the fastevolving field of international corporate social responsibility and accountability.

Liesbeth Enneking is Endowed Professor on the Legal Aspects of International Corporate Social Responsibility at Erasmus School of Law, Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Ivo Giesen is Professor of Private Law, member of Utrecht Centre for Accountability and Liability Law (UCALL) and Head of Utrecht School of Law, Utrecht University.

Anne-Jetske Schaap is PhD candidate at UCALL and the Criminal Law department of Utrecht School of Law, Utrecht University.

Cedric Ryngaert is Professor of Public International Law and member of UCALL, Utrecht School of Law, Utrecht University.

François Kristen is Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure and program leader of UCALL, Utrecht School of Law, Utrecht University.

Lucas Roorda is policy advisor at the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights and PhD candidate at UCALL and the International and European Law department of Utrecht School of Law, Utrecht University.