"Why/how should corporates defend civil society space? Good new paper + case studies", 19 Oct 2016

I saw some effective academic-NGO cooperation last week...The occasion was the launch of Beyond Integrity: Exploring the role of business in preserving civil society space...[T]he authors went looking for cases where businesses had got involved in defending civil society from attacks by government, and identified four really interesting cases...They interviewed a number of...players in each case. Some points that emerged: The importance of individuals and organizations that bridge the corporate and civil society spheres...Long term partnerships can help retain access to those networks even when people move on...The business case for acting to defend civil society space varies according to the sector and country, but overall, human rights defenders act as a form of unpaid due diligence for companies, keeping them alert to risks emerging within the system. So it makes sense to defend them. However, company agency is difficult and can easily backfire into nationalist accusations of foreign meddling....An issue will be more legitimate if it directly affects core company operations (staff, shareholders, brand, communities where they operate).