Event

Conscience Incorporated at Politics and Prose

Where

Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20008

When

Tuesday, January 28th, 2025

7 PM - 9 PM

Amid international outcry over income inequality, labor abuses, and racial injustice, Conscience Incorporated examines the gaps in current corporate social responsibility measures. The rise of new technologies such as smartphones and social media have made it easier than ever to document and spread awareness of corporate misconduct. Despite these developments, large corporations often fail to meaningfully address the human rights abuses committed within their companies or as part of their global business practices. 

In Conscience Incorporated, Michael H. Posner addresses what lies at the root of the challenges global corporations face in addressing human rights failures by drawing on his extensive personal experience as a human rights lawyer, State Department official under President Obama, chair of the Fair Labor Association and Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern School of Business.

Drawing from research into the history of business ethics and anchoring his argument with examples of companies publically accused of human rights abuses-Nike, Coca-Cola, Apple, and more-Posner provides a blueprint for global business leaders to navigate human rights challenges and adopt sustainable corporate practices. Conscience Incorporated highlights the dangers of outsourcing labor to faraway nations and enforcing unfair deals with local suppliers. Posner argues that growing public awareness has not been enough to meaningfully alter the unethical practices of some global businesses. In doing so, he reveals how these businesses have failed to prioritize human rights time and again, betraying their vows to protect workers and communities.

Posner offers concrete reforms and argues compellingly for why businesses need to devote greater time and resources to protecting basic human rights. Conscience Incorporated is a powerful challenge to the status quo and advocates for a fundamental shift in the principles that govern global businesses.

Michael H. Posner is the Jerome Kohlberg Professor of Ethics and Finance and the Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU’s Stern School of Business. 

Posner will be in conversation with David Leonhardt. Leonhardt is an Op-Ed columnist at The New York Times. He was the founding editor of The Upshot section, which uses data visualization to analyze news. He has also served as Washington bureau chief and wrote the “Economic Scene” column for the Business section. In 2011, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his columns and won the Gerald Loeb Award in 2009. He authored the e-book Here’s the Deal in 2013 and has worked as a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and the Economix blog. Before joining The Times in 1999, he worked at Business Week and The Washington Post.Born in New York in 1973, Mr. Leonhardt studied applied mathematics at Yale. He is a third-generation native of New York.

This event is free with first come, first serve seating.

Link to the event: https://politics-prose.com/michael-posner