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Field Structuration and the Emergence of the ‘Due Diligence’ Professional
Co-authored with Marisa McVey and Beata Faracik
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Abstract:
Human rights due diligence (HRDD) is a key element of Pillar Two of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights requiring businesses to identify and address human rights abuses. However, the inherent flexibility of HRDD, even when prescribed in law, provides scope for differing interpretations as well as variations in practice. With an increasing number of states developing mandatory HRDD (mHRDD), there has been a significant surge in demand for external business and human rights expertise by multinational corporations. As such, a diverse collection of actors (boutique consulting firms, national human rights institution, international accounting and law firms) now offers services including conducting HRDD, impact assessments, policy advice, and assisting on ‘future proofing’ companies’ human rights strategies for incoming legislation.
Whereas the current literature tends to focus on the relationship between states, corporations and rightsholders, the role and impact of ‘experts’ has been somewhat overlooked, meaning our understanding of the effectiveness of the UNGPs, HRDD and the wider business and human rights agenda is currently limited. Drawing on 24 interviews with external HRDD experts, this paper provides insights into the emerging field of HRDD and the professional actors ‘jockeying for position’ within the field. Drawing on the institutional theory literature concerned with the role of professions in field-level change, we explore how different professional groups both respond to, and shape, changes in the field along with the resources they employ to expand their jurisdiction and enhance their position with the field.
Bio:
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/management/people/jf60/