Business

Florian Wettstein’s Business and Human Rights: Ethical, Legal, and Managerial Perspectives is a timely and ambitious intervention in a field that is still solidifying its contours. Business and Human Rights (BHR) has emerged in recent decades as both a scholarly discipline and a policy arena, spurred by the rise of globalization, corporate power, and mounting evidence of corporate involvement in human rights abuses. This text arrives at a moment when universities are rapidly institutionalizing BHR courses, often at the intersection of law, management, and ethics. Wettstein’s book therefore not only fills a pedagogical gap but also seeks to shape the intellectual and normative foundations of the field. One of the book’s greatest strengths is its breadth and structure. The work includes an impressive arc that begins with foundational philosophical debates (Part I), moves through corporate involvement in rights violations (Part II), develops normative justifications for business responsibilities (Part III), explores accountability and governance mechanisms (Part IV), and finally considers industry-specific case studies and emerging challenges (Part V). Such sequencing mirrors the way students might themselves encounter the field: from history and theory, to problems, to solutions and applications. The introductory chapter, pointedly titled “Learning and Unlearning Business and Human Rights”, sets the tone by destabilizing assumptions about both “human rights” and “business,” situating BHR as more than an extension of corporate social responsibility (CSR). This signals an intellectual seriousness that elevates the book above being a mere manual of compliance or best practices. Wettstein’s interdisciplinary lens is perhaps the defining […]