Human rights and corporate wrongs : closing the governance gap

The effects of globalisation, together with the increase in foreign investment and resource development within the developing world, have created a context for human rights abuses by States in which transnational corporations are complicit. This timely book considers how these 'governance gaps', as identified by Professor John Ruggie, may be closed. Simon Baughen examines the status of corporations under international law, the civil liability of corporations for their participation in international crimes and self-regulation through voluntary codes of conduct, such as the 2011 UN Guiding Principles. The book includes in-depth analysis of the key legal issues and examines a variety of scenarios including: the Alien Tort Statute litigation against transnational corporations (TNCs) in the US; the use of customary international law as a cause of action in jurisdictions outside the US; and tort litigation against TNCs in the US and UK. The author evaluates how governance gaps may be closed, building on a critical analysis of the place of home States, host States and TNCs under international law and of the UN Guiding Principles and other 'soft law' initiatives. This book will be essential reading for postgraduate students and academics in human rights and corporate governance. It will also provide comprehensive insights for practitioners in NGO.