Genevieve LeBaron
Professor of Politics and Co-Director of SPERI
How to spur corporate accountability with modern slavery legislation
Genevieve LeBaron - 24 July 2019Governments are increasingly considering anti-slavery legislation to combat forced labour in the supply chains of global companies. But what makes for effective legislation, and how could existing laws be improved?
New buzzword, same problem: ‘worker voice’ initiatives and the shortcomings of traditional social auditing
Genevieve LeBaron, Mark Anner & Penelope Kyritsis - 25 March 2019Ultimately, the only way to root out labour abuses in global supply chains is by disrupting traditional power relations between workers and businesses.
A New Era for SPERI
Colin Hay & Genevieve LeBaron - 4 January 2019In the first blog in a new series, SPERI Directors Colin Hay and Genevieve LeBaron describe SPERI’s evolution since 2012 and set out a new research agenda.
Ethical Certification Doesn’t Eradicate Forced Labour
Genevieve LeBaron - 21 October 2018In the tea industry, on almost every indicator we used to measure labour standards, certified plantations fared about the same, if not worse, as non-certified plantations
The Endemic Problem of Forced Labour in Global Tea and Cocoa Supply Chains
Genevieve LeBaron - 27 September 2018What do tea and cocoa have in common? Both products are widely consumed by households around the world; the early world market for both industries was intertwined with the history of colonialism; and in today’s global economy, both products are made with forced labour
The political economy of the Weinstein scandal
Liam Stanley, Ellie Gore & Genevieve LeBaron - 13 August 2018This blog series introduces some preliminary research from SPERI’s PREPPE programme, a project that asks: What can political economy tell us about the Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo movement? And what can the Weinstein scandal and #MeToo movement teach us about political economy?
Understanding vulnerability to forced labour in global supply chains
Genevieve LeBaron - 25 June 2018Forced labour is prevalent in the tea and cocoa industries and is happening in the context of widespread labour abuse
The political economy of forced labour
Genevieve LeBaron, Neil Howard, Cameron Thibos & Penelope Kyritsis - 10 January 2018‘Confronting Root Causes: Forced Labour in Global Supply Chains’, a new report that call for innovative approaches to tackle forced labour in global supply chains is published today. The first chapter of the report is republished here.
Overseas anti-slavery initiatives flourish, but domestic governance gaps persist
Genevieve LeBaron & Andrew Crane - 14 September 2017UK-based companies are ramping up efforts to combat slavery in their overseas supply chains. But companies also need to be working harder to address the severe labour exploitation taking place at home
Mandatory transparency, discretionary disclosure
Genevieve LeBaron - 23 November 2016New transparency regulations in some places theoretically require companies to report on forced labour in their supply chains, but a new review finds that’s not what’s happening
Rethinking Recovery: Recovery for whom?
Genevieve LeBaron - 04 July 2016Corporate profits are soaring, but so is labour exploitation. Who is the ‘recovery’ really benefiting?
The Coming Crisis: The dangers of indecent work
Genevieve LeBaron - 22 June 2016To prevent another economic crisis, we must address the spread and normalization of indecent work
Rethinking Recovery I: Inequality and insecurity in UK households
Genevieve LeBaron, Johnna Montgomerie & Daniela Tepe-Belfrage - 03 June 2015This is the first in a series of ten SPERI Comments on the theme of rethinking recovery. In this introductory post the authors warn that measurements of, and debates about, economic recovery in the UK have tended to overlook deepening inequality along the lines of class, gender, race, ability, age and sexuality.
Inequality Redux III
Genevieve LeBaron - 05 March 2015Fighting slavery, flaming labour exploitation?
Discovering and discussing the hidden costs of recovery
Genevieve LeBaron & Daniela Tepe-Belfrage - 10 February 2015Forthcoming seminars at SPERI will endeavour to rethink recovery in a radical way, taking gender and social reproduction fully into account
A threat to growth? Environmental activism in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis
Genevieve LeBaron & Peter Dauvergne - 07 January 2014Since the crisis states have raised the stakes for environmentalists, cracking down on dissent and stifling criticism of the ecological costs of economic growth