Tim Connor et al., "Global Business and Local Struggle: Reimagining Non-Judicial Remedy for Human Rights" (Cambridge UP, 2025)

In this episode of New Books in Law, Caitlin Murphy hosts Tim Connor and Fiona Haynes to discuss their collaborative book, 'Global Business and Local Struggle: Reimagining Non-Judicial Remedy for Human Rights' (Cambridge UP, 2025). The book presents a groundbreaking analysis of human rights grievances in global supply chains through ten detailed case studies across Indonesia and India, focusing on struggles in palm oil, sportswear manufacturing, stone quarrying, and mining. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and interviews with workers, activists, and state actors, the authors argue that non-judicial grievance mechanisms—such as corporate protocols and national contact points—must be understood not as isolated institutions, but as dynamic participants within a 'field of struggle.' This framework allows for a nuanced understanding of how power, politics, and local context shape outcomes. The discussion reveals that while some mechanisms succeed by amplifying marginalized voices and shifting power dynamics, others fail due to flawed design or complicit state actors. The authors emphasize that lasting change requires strategic engagement with multiple actors across different levels—corporate, state, civil society—and tailored interventions rooted in local realities. The episode also explores the methodological innovation behind the book: a collaborative, iterative, and team-based approach that leveraged deep case-specific expertise across five authors. The authors reflect on their diverse academic and activist backgrounds, from Fiona Haynes’ criminological work on industrial disasters to Tim Connor’s grassroots activism with Oxfam. They highlight the importance of recognizing the complexity of state institutions—where some arms are supportive (e.g., Indonesia’s Witness Protection Agency) while others are hostile (e.g., complicit police). The conversation concludes with insights into their current projects: Connor’s work on historical theories of corporations and Haynes’ creative translation of research into poetry. Overall, the episode underscores the need to move beyond institutional design blueprints and instead center the lived struggles of workers and communities in the pursuit of corporate accountability.