Business and Human Rights Indicators to Measure the Corporate Responsibility to Respect: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Business and human rights indicators, ratings and indices have proliferated in the past few years. Yet, measuring respect for human rights by corporations is not an easy task. This article offers an overview of the most prominent business and human rights measurement initiatives and draws attention to the normative, methodological, practical and political challenges related to the production of valid and emancipatory measures of corporate respect for human rights. The objective is to move the debate forward, from the if (should we use indicators?) to the how (how to create better initiatives?).

Keywords: indicators, KPIs, business and human rights, business, human rights, measure, corporate responsibility to respect, Ruggie, Guiding Principles