• Describe theories and concepts covered in the course readings that are relevant to the analysis of CSR/sustainability in global production networks
• Apply concepts and theories from the course to analyse how CSR/sustainability in global production networks is embedded in developing country contexts.
• Critically evaluate the theories, their application and limitations in relation to explaining how CSR/sustainability in global production networks affects and is affected by local producers, workers, and communities in Asia, Africa, or Latin America.
• Demonstrate appropriate academic writing skills, including: correct referencing, clear argumentation and correct usage and definition of key concepts.

In the last twenty years several international media and NGO reports have highlighted poor labor and environmental conditions at the base of the global production networks of internationally branded companies such as Nike, Puma, Apple, and Levi’s. The emergence of so-called sweatshops in formal factory, semi-formal workshops, or home-based settings has prompted these companies to develop ethical guidelines that they require their suppliers in developing countries to abide by. More recently, multi-stakeholder initiatives have emerged in which brands, factories/farms, NGOs, governments, and other organizations join hands in trying to address CSR challenges in export-oriented industries in developing countries.

In this course, we explore the potential and limitations of CSR/sustainability in global production networks in relation to improving poor work and environmental conditions in export-oriented industries in developing countries. We do this through the lens of global value chain and global production network analysis. GVC and GPN analysis helps us understand the transnational organization of industries and power relations within these industries, as we map the linkages that exist in the global economy between consumers, brands, suppliers, workers and communities that reside in different parts of the Global South. In particular, we zoom in how the CSR/sustainability policies of global brands travel through GVCs/GPNs and touch down in different localities, differentially impacting upon local firms/farmers, workers, and local communities.

After a general introduction to CSR/sustainability in the Global South and their relations to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, the course is divided into two sections. The first deals with labor issues, the second with environmental issues. In the labor part of the course, we will first discuss different approaches to assessing the impact of CSR in GPNs. This leads onto a discussion of buyers, supplier and worker perspectives of CSR in GPNs. In the environmental part of the course, we first look at green capital accumulation in the Global South and power in sustainability governance before turning to environmental upgrading and multi-stakeholder sustainability initiatives in GVCs.

This is a joint exam with the course entitled “Governance and Development”. See the course description of “Governance and Development” for the detailed information regarding the exam.

To be announced on Learn