Advanced Introduction to Business and Human Rights

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.

Focusing on the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in 2011, this timely book charts the field of business and human rights, finding that corporate responsibility to respect human rights is gradually evolving into a binding legal duty in both national and international law. Following the structure of the UNGPs, Peter T. Muchlinski also covers the state duty to protect against business violations of human rights, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and access to remedies for corporate violations of human rights.

Key Features:

• A detailed, critical, appraisal of the UNGPs in their historical, legal and political contexts
• Coverage of developments in national law and policy to further the state’s duty to protect against business violations of human rights
• An interdisciplinary perspective drawing on history, law, business ethics, politics, and ideas of corporate governance with a view to introducing the field to readers with diverse specialist backgrounds
• Coverage of new directions for business and human rights including calls for new mandatory corporate liability laws, a legally binding international treaty and new multi stakeholder initiatives for developing business and human rights standards

This Advanced Introduction will be a key guide for students and researchers in the fields of business and human rights, international law and business ethics, as well as lawyers and business managers who need an accessible primer to business and human rights.

Peter T. Muchlinski, Emeritus Professor of International Commercial Law, The School of Law, The School of Oriental and African Studies, SOAS University of London, UK