Business, the International Rule of Law and Human Rights

Abstract

There is a great deal of support for the rule of law. As will be shown, it is propounded in national and international documents, asserted in speeches and acknowledged in writings and case law. Yet, in the absence of a clear definition, a national rule of law is derided as ‘ruling class chatter’, or dismissed as the ‘jurisprudential equivalent of motherhood and apple pie’. These criticisms become even stronger when the possibility of an international rule of law is raised. These issues are addressed by this paper and are applied to business in terms of their responsibilities in relation to human rights.

Keywords: rule of law, human rights, business and human rights, international law

JEL Classification: K1, K33, F23