chris okafor | National University of Ireland, Galway (original) (raw)

Papers by chris okafor

Business and Human Rights Journal

As the field of business and human rights evolves, it generates new questions and research areas.... more As the field of business and human rights evolves, it generates new questions and research areas. This incisive book focuses on the role of the state and business in maintaining 'the unequal distribution of resources and power in the global economy' and on the potential of human rights to challenge this 'global marketplace rooted in inequality'. 1 It does so through focus on 'supply chain capitalism', defined as 'global production and distribution [that is] organized through disaggregated, geographically dispersed supply chains' 2 and the new regulatory forms that have emerged in attempts to tame it. Although the general topic of private regulation initiatives (PRIs) within supply chains has been extensively studied, this book attempts something new in situating human rights-based regulation in the context of the global political economy. It is well known that PRIs, as voluntary initiatives that require business cooperation risk subservience to business, becoming decorative CSR projects that mask continued exploitation and business-as-usual. This book attempts to explore the law, politics and economics that underlie this reality, and to use this to plot strategic pathways forward. The book is organized in four parts. Part 1 frames the discussion. Part 2 investigates multistakeholder initiatives (MSIs), and part 3 investigates worker-driven social responsibility (WSR) programs. Part 4 offers critical reflections on the field. Chapter 1 provides an editors' introduction and summarizes the key points of the book. In chapter 2, Justine Nolan offers an overview of the role and history of MSIs in the context of public regulation and other strategies. She argues that to address the varied governance problems evidenced and constituted by supply chain capitalism, some form of 'synergistic governance' is required, wherein public, private and social strategies mutually reinforce one another. This builds on a long history in regulation studies, including Ruggie's 'smart mix' of regulation. Nolan appears hopeful that the combination of human rights due diligence and transparency laws, coupled with evolving private and social governance mechanisms, may ameliorate at least some harm within supply chains. In chapter 3, Farai Maguwu critiques the Kimberley Process (KP), designed to eradicate 'conflict diamonds'. Maguwu argues that 'KP was created by the government to ensure total control of the rough diamonds trade', not to protect human rights. 3 The author narrates his work and personal experience in the chapter as a human rights activist in Zimbabwe and

Business and Human Rights Journal

As the field of business and human rights evolves, it generates new questions and research areas.... more As the field of business and human rights evolves, it generates new questions and research areas. This incisive book focuses on the role of the state and business in maintaining 'the unequal distribution of resources and power in the global economy' and on the potential of human rights to challenge this 'global marketplace rooted in inequality'. 1 It does so through focus on 'supply chain capitalism', defined as 'global production and distribution [that is] organized through disaggregated, geographically dispersed supply chains' 2 and the new regulatory forms that have emerged in attempts to tame it. Although the general topic of private regulation initiatives (PRIs) within supply chains has been extensively studied, this book attempts something new in situating human rights-based regulation in the context of the global political economy. It is well known that PRIs, as voluntary initiatives that require business cooperation risk subservience to business, becoming decorative CSR projects that mask continued exploitation and business-as-usual. This book attempts to explore the law, politics and economics that underlie this reality, and to use this to plot strategic pathways forward. The book is organized in four parts. Part 1 frames the discussion. Part 2 investigates multistakeholder initiatives (MSIs), and part 3 investigates worker-driven social responsibility (WSR) programs. Part 4 offers critical reflections on the field. Chapter 1 provides an editors' introduction and summarizes the key points of the book. In chapter 2, Justine Nolan offers an overview of the role and history of MSIs in the context of public regulation and other strategies. She argues that to address the varied governance problems evidenced and constituted by supply chain capitalism, some form of 'synergistic governance' is required, wherein public, private and social strategies mutually reinforce one another. This builds on a long history in regulation studies, including Ruggie's 'smart mix' of regulation. Nolan appears hopeful that the combination of human rights due diligence and transparency laws, coupled with evolving private and social governance mechanisms, may ameliorate at least some harm within supply chains. In chapter 3, Farai Maguwu critiques the Kimberley Process (KP), designed to eradicate 'conflict diamonds'. Maguwu argues that 'KP was created by the government to ensure total control of the rough diamonds trade', not to protect human rights. 3 The author narrates his work and personal experience in the chapter as a human rights activist in Zimbabwe and