Lobbying can be a powerful tool for social change, but paradoxically, it is also what is holding us back from making progress, be it on climate or social justice. It’s time for a new kind of lobbying, argues Alberto Alemanno, Professor of EU Law at HEC Paris. He describes a new movement of nonprofits, philanthropies and progressive companies that are reclaiming lobbying as a legitimate form of political innovation, capable of redistributing power across society.
By Alberto Alemanno
Millions of consumers, employees and investors are seeking to align their purchases, jobs and investments with their values. They want transparency and clear understanding of the brands they consume, work for, and invest in to be able to verify how they are contributing to sustainable development. Amid such a growing, unparalleled scrutiny, companies are increasingly held responsible for their business behavior, notably their environmental and social footprints. Yet there is one impact that is rarely discussed, as it remains hidden to the public eye. This is the ‘political footprint’ companies leave behind through the exercise of corporate political activities, be it lobbying or political contributions, and which often contradicts companies’ public statements.
The European Commission mandated a group of experts to work on new European corporate social responsibility reporting requirements. Marieke Huysentruyt, Associate Professor of Strategy and Business Policy and Academic Director of the Inclusive Economy Center at the Society & Organizations Institute of HEC Paris, was part of a group that drafted legislation on the question of equal opportunity. She describes how her working group shaped their proposals for a wide, long-lasting impact.
By Marieke Huysentruyt
Do international sanctions that are imposed with the intention to improve the human rights situation in the targeted country always lead to better human rights? No, according to Professors Armin Steinbach, Jerg Gutmann, Matthias Neuenkirch, and Florian Neumeier, who have studied empirically the legal proportionality test. Their results cast doubt on the lawfulness of many trade and financial sanctions imposed by the US, the EU and other countries – an insight that might extend to many of the sanctions in place today.
By Armin Steinbach
For the 32nd Olympic Games, one of South Africa’s modern icons, 800-meter champion Caster Semenya, will not be making the trip northwards. She has been barred from the Tokyo Olympics where she had hoped to defend a crown she won in 2012 and 2016. We discuss with Professor Matteo Winkler the legal, sociological and ethical implications of the Caster Mokgadi Semenya v. IAAF (now World Athletics) case. World Athletics’ regulations target female athletes like Semenya who are born with naturally high levels of testosterone, a characteristic that was labelled first as “hyperandrogenism” and then as “difference of sexual development”. Winkler and fellow academic, Doctor Giovanna Gilleri from the European University Institute published a 40-page study deconstructing the narratives surrounding the case and reflecting on the relationship between the law of sports, politics, gender and bodies – and the West’s sometimes uncomfortable position on femininity in the Global South.
By Matteo M. Winkler
The EU has a comprehensive legal framework to combat discrimination. But where exactly does the letter of the law lie and how can corporations make their businesses truly inclusive? HEC Paris professor Matteo Winkler suggests going above and beyond the law to make workplaces genuinely diverse.
Global warming is one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century. In order to meet this unprecedented challenge, States and sub-state entities have decided to use an original regulatory instrument: a trading system wherein pollution rights can be exchanged (i.e. a ‘carbon market’). HEC Paris Professor Van Waeyenberge explains why the collaboration between countries has not yet led to satisfying results, and what can be done about it. Given the urgency of the situation, one cannot possibly reconceive or reimagine the current system from scratch, but one can improve it by encouraging complementary measures through the coordination of the various existing initiatives. This coordination could take place via the connections and interlinkages between the different carbon markets initiatives and through the use of new technologies such as the blockchain to implement it.
By Arnaud Van Waeyenberge
In this article we share testimonials from our professors about their personal experience with online education.
To date, at least nine international banks have paid enormous sums to the US as a result of violating US economic sanctions, including the French bank BNP Paribas, which was fined nearly $9 billion in 2014. As the US increasingly employs its punitive arsenal to force non-US banks to comply, this has resulted in their Americanization, argue two HEC professors.
By David Restrepo Amariles , Matteo M. Winkler
Should whistleblowers be compensated or prosecuted? In their latest research, professors from HEC Paris Nicole Stolowy and Luc Paugam, together with Lawyer Aude Londero, shed light on the different realities faced by whistleblowers depending on jurisdictions, in France and in the United-States.
By Nicole Stolowy , Luc Paugam
