Whilst many of us would agree that human rights are more important than corporate profits, the reality is often different; such realities as child labour and environmental destruction caused by corporate activities make this patently clear. Recognising that balancing human rights and business interests can be problematic, Corporate Accountability considers the limits of existing complaint mechanisms and examines non-judicial alternatives for conflict resolution. The innovative approach herein compiles both long-standing international expertise and findings based on 25 key interviews from experts and victims. In contrast to the current literature, which tends to provide details on the functioning of the mechanisms, this book delves further to examine the strengths and weaknesses of each mechanism and provides criteria of excellence for non-judicial grievance mechanisms. In doing so, it provides a reality-check for corporate accountability worldwide. Novel and thought provoking, Corporate Accountability will be a captivating read for academics as well as companies interested in human rights and corporate social responsibility. It will also prove of interest to related state institutions such as development agencies and other relevant ministries such as chambers of commerce, trade unions, NGOs and civil society organisations.

This unique book examines whether there is sufficient human rights accountability for undertakings supported by bilateral state development and export credit agencies. In contrast to leading international development and financial actors such as the World Bank, the accountability of bilateral development and export credit agencies has, to date, remained widely unexplored. This book analyses the effectiveness of the human rights system in allowing affected individuals to claim accountability for human rights violations resulting from bilateral development and export credit agency supported undertakings. It provides a comprehensive examination of development and export credit agencies' legal nature and explores three legal pathways open to claimants: host state responsibility, home state responsibility and corporate responsibility. Furthermore, it includes empirical data on the corporate responsibility process in seven agencies. Barbara Linder concludes that there is a significant human rights accountability gap with regards to bilateral development and export credit agency supported undertakings. The final chapters make recommendations for strengthening human rights accountability and improving access to justice for adversely affected individuals. Academics and professional lawyers working at the intersection of human rights, development cooperation and investment will find this a compelling body of work. The book provides information on existing case law, highlights human rights accountability gaps and outlines illustrative case studies that will act as a valuable point of reference.