Publications
Research
Made In Ethiopia: Challenges In The Garment Industry’S New Frontier
We published a report examining how the global apparel industry operates in Ethiopia. The report features a set of nine recommendations for how the industry and the Ethiopian government, foreign manufacturers, and Western brands can address the human rights challenges created by the lowest wages in the entire global supply chain for clothing.
Tackling Domestic Disinformation: What Social Media Companies Need To Do
We released a report that takes a detailed look at false content generated in the U.S. that undermines democracy.
Combating Russian Disinformation: The Case For Stepping Up The Fight Online
The report provides a detailed examination of Russian disinformation campaigns and recommends a series of steps that industry and governments can take to overcome this and future digital threats to democracy.
Five Years After Rana Plaza: The Way Forward
The Center’s report on factory safety in Bangladesh, finds that efforts by Western brands and retailers have resulted in safer factories but thousands of additional facilities still require remediation.
Harmful Content: The Role Of Internet Platform Companies In Fighting Terrorist Incitement And Politically Motivated Disinformation
The report grew out of discussion at the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Human Rights. It focused on how Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft could more effectively fight terrorist incitement and politically motivated disinformation on their platforms.
Putting The ‘S’ In ESG: Measuring Human Rights Performance For Investors
The Center published an in-depth study of 12 leading frameworks for assessing companies’ social practices and impacts. It found that current measurement focuses on what is most convenient rather than most meaningful. Ninety-two percent of measures looked at company governance structures without any attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of those structures.
Making Workers Pay: Recruitment Of The Migrant Labor Force In The Gulf Construction Industry
A new study from the Center finds that construction companies operating in the Arabian Gulf are able to recruit millions of low-wage migrant workers without incurring the costs of the recruitment process. Instead, in this highly irregular system, most workers themselves are paying for their own recruitment – and much more – before they depart their home countries.
First Textbook on Business and Human Rights Aims to Close the Educational Gap for Next Generation of Leaders
In a global economy, multinational companies often operate in jurisdictions where governments are either unable or unwilling to uphold even the basic human rights of their citizens. As part of its work to educate the world’s future business leaders, the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights today released the first comprehensive, interdisciplinary textbook on the human rights challenges facing businesses – and how to approach solutions.
Beyond The Tip Of The Iceberg: Bangladesh’s Forgotten Apparel Workers
The Center published an interactive map showing Bangladesh’s 7,000 garment factories. This number is almost double prior estimates, shining a light on the scale of sub-contracting in global fashion supply chains. The map and accompanying report, were the result of a year-long study in which the Center systematically examined official records and conducted a survey of almost 500 factories
Business As Usual Is Not An Option: Supply Chains And Sourcing After Rana Plaza.
The collapse of Rana Plaza, which killed over 1,100 workers, revealed the safety risks and poor working conditions endemic in the Bangladeshi garment industry. On the basis of over 100 interviews and two convenings in New York and Dhaka, which brought buyers together with their local suppliers, we identified indirect sourcing as the problem most in need of greater attention.