Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1111/rego.12501
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) From voluntary to mandatory corporate accountability: The politics of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act
Author Weihrauch, D.; Carodenuto, S.; Leipold, S.
Source Titel Regulation & Governance
Year 2022
Department UPOL
Volume 17
Issue 4
Page From 909
Page To 926
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1111%2Frego.12501&file=rego12501-sup-0001-AppendixS1.docx
Keywords discursive agency; foreign corporate accountability; Germany; human rights; mandatory due diligence
Abstract Following a long-standing and highly contested policy debate, in June 2021, the German parliament passed the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act requiring mandatory due diligence (MDD) of large companies, holding them accountable for the impacts of their supply chain operations abroad. Applying the discursive agency approach and using evidence from policy documents and 21 interviews with key stakeholders, we analyze the political strategies that paved the way toward MDD in Germany. The decisive strategy was an innovative benchmarking and monitoring mechanism that provided the legitimacy for a law and opened a window of opportunity for MDD supporters. Civil society and supportive politicians used this window of opportunity to build broad political coalitions that included the support of some companies. We discuss the ramifications of these findings for understanding the domestic politics behind the newly emerging norm of foreign corporate accountability.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=26694
Weihrauch, D., Carodenuto, S., Leipold, S. (2022):
From voluntary to mandatory corporate accountability: The politics of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act
Regul. Gov. 17 (4), 909 - 926 10.1111/rego.12501