Browsing by Author "Murray, James Henry"

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    The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights: A normative account of the business and human rights norm in the Malawian sugar industry
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12) Murray, James Henry; Lambrechts, Derica; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study delves into the business and human rights norm that in recent years has been drawn ever closer to center of non-state, and particularly transnational corporations (TNCs), governance debates. To date, the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (GPs) endures as the most authoritative text ascribing states and business enterprises with their respective responsibilities in relation to business and human rights. In the time since the GPs were endorsed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2011 it has been cited by enumerable state and non-state corporate governance, due diligence, and policy recommendations and frameworks. These efforts have been made with the intention aligning corporations’ internal governance structures to international best practice. The GPs and its recommendations remain voluntary; nevertheless, this study accounts for the normative contribution it has imprinted despite having no legal enforcement mechanisms. To facilitate this, International Norm Theory’s postulations and hypothesis on international norm dynamics are instituted as this study theoretical lens. This lens is applied to a case study of the Malawian sugar industry that sees both the Government of Malawi (GoM) and the principle corporate actor in this space, Illovo Malawi Limited, participating in processes that intended to implement the GPs. The justification for these actions fits firmly in the context of the Water- Food-Energy Nexus that describes the recent spike in global demand and investment in agricultural land and inputs. Thus, the GoM and Illovo Malawi have actively sort to counter the negative characteristics that has led to this wave of land investments being termed ‘land grabs.’ Through these efforts the domestic salience of the business and human rights norm can be measured. Moreover, its presence in the Malawian context proves to be an opportunity to reveal some challenges that a step beyond the GPs would need to consider and overcome for the business and human rights norm to be meaningfully internalized by business corporations.