SSHRC Insight Grant Project Launch: Are worker-driven alternatives to corporate social responsibility a viable solution to forced labour in supply chains?

Forced labour is thriving in today’s global economy, casting a daunting shadow over the well-being of countless workers. Adding to the urgency, traditional corporate social responsibility approaches have proven ineffective in addressing forced labour.

In light of this, a new form of governance called Worker-Driven Social Responsibility (WSR) is gaining attention. Simon Fraser University’s School of Public Policy director and professor Genevieve LeBaron, alongside fellow SFU researchers Ali Bhagat and Kam Phung, have launched a research project to determine whether WSR can aid in the elimination of forced labour from supply chains.

WSR empowers low-wage workers at the bottom of global supply chains to confront forced labour and other human rights abuses. It does this through legally binding agreements between worker organizations, unions, supplier firms, and major brands, which use market tools like price premiums and worker-led remediation systems.

The goal to eliminate forced labour is globally supported by the G7 nations, the World Bank, the United Nations, and major corporations like Nike, Mars, Google, and Coca-Cola – and WSR has the potential to be part of the solution. However, while WSR is seen as a groundbreaking avenue for human rights in supply chains, there's little independent research on its effectiveness, especially regarding forced labour. This is a significant shortcoming, and this project moves to address this gap.

Widely recognized for their distinguished research, LeBaron, Bhagat, and Phung were awarded funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in the form of an Insight Grant to support their project. Dedicated to advancing excellence in research within social sciences and humanities, Insight Grants foster knowledge and understanding of people, society, and the world, expanding and enriching insights into pressing societal challenges.

Their research project, "The Effectiveness of Worker-Driven Alternatives to Corporate Social Responsibility in Governing Global Supply Chain,” is the first of its kind. It compares two WSR agreements aimed at increasing corporate accountability for forced labour and human rights abuses in global supply chains. LeBaron, Bhagat, and Phung aim to find out if WSR agreements are making a difference by:

1. Identifying Success Factors: Pinpointing what makes WSR initiatives work.

2. Analyzing Corporate Impact: Seeing if WSR agreements influence company policies and practices related to forced labour and reduce forced labour in supply chains.

3. Exploring the Regulatory Landscape: Understanding how WSR fits into the rules that govern companies and governments.

4. Addressing Inequities: Examining the impact of WSR initiatives on fairness issues in supply chains, such as issues related to race and gender.

This research moves beyond traditional approaches to supply chain governance, as it's clear that the problem of forced labour can't be solved with minor adjustments to current corporate social responsibility efforts. The current project creates the opportunity to tackle forced labour in supply chains by providing new evidence and fresh perspectives to fields like political science, business, and development literature.