Participation of Rights Holders
Creating effective, efficient, and appropriate opportunities for rights holders to participate in the planning and implementation of corporate projects remains a significant challenge at the intersection of business and human rights. This research project (2023–2025) aims to define what meaningful participation looks like from the perspective of rights holders and to support its integration into German and European supply chain legislation. The Institute is collaborating on this project with Danielle Pamplona, Professor at the Human Rights Clinic of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) in Brazil.
Human Rights Research and Economics
The impact of corporate activities on human rights has traditionally been studied by legal experts and researchers in business ethics. However, public discourse on topics like risks, crises, and cost accounting is largely shaped by economists, who often overlook human rights considerations.
The Institute seeks to bridge this gap by encouraging economists to integrate human rights perspectives into their analyses of corporate activities. At the same time, the field of human rights can benefit from the insights and methods of economics.
Analysis: Calculated Risk
Behavioural Economics and Interdisciplinary Collaboration
The Institute regularly facilitates interdisciplinary expert discussions to explore behavioural approaches that can help resolve entrenched stakeholder conflicts. This initiative has led to the formation of an informal working group comprising behavioural economists and human rights experts. Additionally, these discussions have sparked a research partnership with Prof. Dr. Gari Walkowitz, Chair of Behavioural and Business Ethics at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, and inspired a special issue of the journal “Sozialer Fortschritt”, curated by the Institute.
Business and Human Rights Risks: Insights from Modern Portfolio Theory
Human rights risk assessments aim to help businesses identify and address potential adverse human rights impacts stemming from their activities in order to prevent, mitigate or remedy them. In contrast, corporate risk assessments often focus on financial or operational risks.
In its analysis Calculated Risk, the Institute applied Modern Portfolio Theory, developed by Harry M. Markowitz, to examine these contrasting interpretations of risk. The findings informed criteria for both state and corporate self-regulation, demonstrating how integrating human rights risk assessments can align with economic imperatives.
