On the 29th of november 2020 the swiss population is voting on the Responsible Business Initiative. The Initiative aims at better protecting human rights and the environment by providing a legal framework where multinational corporations are liable for the actions of their subsidiary companies, suppliers and business partners. Ellen Hertz and Yvan Schulz, two anthropologists, recently wrote a book on this topic with the title Entreprises et droits humains. Les limites de la bonne volonté (2020) in french and Unternehmen und Menschenrechte. Die Grenzen des guten Willens (2020) in german. The book provides an overview of the historical development of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)-System currently in place, which involves the voluntary engagement of corporations in protecting human rights and the environment in their supply chains. Furthermore the authors examine the strength of the Initiative to tackle problems of the CSR-System.
To learn more about the book and the contribution of anthropology towards better understanding the political issue at stake I interviewed Ellen Hertz, who is an anthropology professor at the University of Neuchâtel since 2001.
For the Interview visit the website of the University of Lucerne: https://www.unilu.ch/fakultaeten/ksf/institute/ethnologisches-seminar/news/student-contribution-5538/
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