Listen in on a timely and thought-provoking discussion on one of the most urgent challenges in global governance today: how communities and workers can seek justice when their rights are violated by transnational businesses.

In this session, the EU-VALUES Network welcomed Dr. Shelley Marshall (RMIT University), who presented key findings from the book Global Business and Local Struggle: Reimagining Non-Judicial Remedy for Human Rights, co-authored with Dr. Fiona Haines, Dr. Kate Macdonald, Dr. Tim Connor, and Dr. Annie Delaney. Drawing on one of the most extensive empirical studies in the field—based on 587 interviews with over 1,100 individuals across five years of fieldwork in Indonesia and India—the authors examine how non-judicial mechanisms (NJMs) operate in practice across different sectors, and how they can be strengthened to better serve affected communities.

The book offers a nuanced assessment of NJMs, highlighting both their limitations and their potential. While such mechanisms rarely deliver full remedies on their own, the authors argue they can play an important complementary role within a broader regulatory ecosystem for transnational human rights accountability. Combining rich empirical evidence, multi-method analysis, and an innovative theoretical framework, the book provides a compelling blueprint for reform.

The discussion is enriched by comments from Dr. Fiona Haines and Dr. Kate Macdonald, along with guest discussant Dr. Kari Otteburn (KU Leuven GGS), who offered critical reflections and questions that situate the book’s findings within broader debates on global business regulation, labour rights, and access to remedy.

This book, and indeed this presentation, makes a significant contribution to ongoing debates on business and human rights, supply-chain governance, labour rights, and global justice, and is part of the EU-VALUES Network’s academic webinar series fostering critical debate on global security, resilience, and the future of international order.

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