About this course
Having discussed the severe violations of workers in global supply chains in other courses, this course focuses on some key policy areas to rethink global supply chains, such as trade, taxation, due diligence, purchasing contracts and industrial policies. It provides a space to deliberate and discuss key policy proposals for regulating global supply chains in such as way as to empower workers and their organisations.
This course was first launched in 2021.
Key concepts
global supply chains, Human Rights Mandatory Due Diligence, fair-trade and taxation regime, sustainable industrial policy, worker-driven social responsibility, fair purchasing contracts and practices
Course structure
Chapter I: Introduction to the Course
Chapter II: Towards a Fair Trade Regime
Chapter III: Designing Sustainable Industrial Policies
Chapter IV: Building a Fair Taxation Regime
Chapter V: Effective Mandatory Due Diligence
Chapter VI: Equitable Purchasing Contracts and Practices
Chapter VII: Worker/trade union - driven Social Responsibility
Course materials and workload
This course has 6 content chapters. The chapter contains a series of units; each unit is composed of one video lecture, two quiz questions, a reflection question, a key reading, as well as additional reading materials. All these can be downloaded and used offline. Zoom workshops with the course contributors provide a space to dive deeper into the topic (wherever available, these are located under the video lecture).
The estimated workload for each chapter, including key readings, is around 10 hours.
Course contributors
Prof. Dr. Mark Anner, Professor of Labor and Employment Relations, and Political Science, and Director of the Center for Global Workers' Rights, Penn State University, USA
Malini Chakravarty, Economist and Senior Research Analyst, Center for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), India
Dr. Bruno De Conti, Assistant Professor, Institute of Economics, University of Campinas (Unicamp), Brazil
Meghna Goyal, Ph.D. Candidate, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India
Ben Hensler, General Counsel and Deputy Director for Research and Policy, Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), USA
Prof. Dr. Hansjörg Herr, Professor Emeritus, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany
Sebastián Herreros, Economic Affairs Officer, International Trade and Integration Division, ECLAC (CEPAL), Chile
Dr. Frank Hoffer, Non-executive Director, Global Labour University Online Academy, Germany
Prof. Dr. Praveen Jha, Professor and Chairperson, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India
Jason Judd, Executive Director, New Conversations Project, ILR School, Cornell University, USA
Prof. Jane Kelsey, Professor Emeritus of International Economic Law, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Prof. Stefanie Lorenzen, Professor for Business Law, Employment and Labor Law, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany
Lara Merling, Policy Advisor, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and Senior Research Fellow, CEPR, Romania
Veasna Nuon, Labor Researcher and Consultant, Cambodian Institute for Labour Studies (CILS), Cambodia
Prof. Robert O'Brien, Professor of Political Science, McMaster University, Canada
Peter Rossman, Former Director of Campaigns and Communications, International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF)
Dr. Miriam Saage-Maaß, Legal Director, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), Germany
Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherrer, Professor for Globalization and Politics, and Executive Director of the ICDD, University of Kassel, Germany
Bart Sheard, Labor Lawyer and Legal Counsel, AFL-CIO, USA
Ruwan Subasinghe, Legal Director, International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), United Kingdom
Ben Vanpeperstraete, Senior Supply Chain Consultant and Human Rights Advocate, Clean Clothes Campaign, Belgium
Jeffrey Vogt, Legal Director, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and Chair of the ILAW Network, USA
Dr. Marlese von Broembsen, Law Programme Director, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), South Africa
Jason Ward, Principal Analyst, Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability & Research (CICTAR), Australia
Dr. Edlira Xhafa, Executive Director, Global Labour University Online Academy