Co-sponsored by Judaic Studies, Middle East Studies, Political Science, and Dodd Human Rights Impact.
Funding from the Levant Foundation.

The Business & Human Rights Workshop is dedicated to the development and discussion of works-in-progress and other non-published academic research.

Lingling Wang (UConn School of Business) will lead us in a discussion with co-authors Lixin Huang, Harley E. Ryan, and Tim Zhang on the group’s forthcoming paper. Bennett Freeman, an expert in responsible business practices and Associate Fellow in International Law at Chatham House, joins on as our discussant. 

For more information on the paper in advance of publication, see the abstract below:

“We use the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as a context to understand how firm managers cope with ethical dilemmas and how the stock market reacts to the firms’ decisions. Public pressure poses a moral obligation for firms to leave Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine; nevertheless, firms also face ethical considerations associated with the consequences of leaving. The dilemma is particularly germane to firms in industries that serve essential human needs (EHN) since their decisions impact human survival. We find that firms in EHN industries are 45% less likely to leave Russia. We also find that their decision to stay does not elicit a negative stock market response similar to that received by firms in non-EHN industries. The difference in the market reaction is more pronounced when institutional blockholdings are higher. Economic motives cannot explain these differences. Our findings indicate that investors recognize firm managers’ ethical considerations and internalize them in stock prices.”

This event is sponsored by the Business & Human Rights Initiative, Economic & Social Rights Group, and Human Rights Research & Data Hub at the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute.

Do you avoid difficult but important conversations? Have you wondered how to navigate a conversation that could be polarizing? Are you interested in gaining skills for engaging in meaningful dialogue with people who think differently from you? Join us for an immersive training experience, where you will

• Elevate your facilitation skills to become an invaluable leader in guiding “difficult” discussions;

• Develop expertise in fostering collaboration and mutual understanding through structured dialogue;

• Explore proven methods for maintaining, and engaging in productive conversations.

This event is hosted by the Democracy & Dialogues Initiative, a program of Dodd Human Rights Impact.

Dirk Hanschel was trained at various law schools in Germany, the UK and Australia, took his doctoral and postdoctoral degrees at Mannheim University and is currently a professor of German, European and International Public Law at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Since 2019 he has been a Fellow at the Max-Planck-Institute for Social Anthropology. In 2021 he was appointed Martin Flynn Global Law Professor at UConn Law School. His research focuses, inter alia, on topics of international environmental and human rights law, comparative constitutional law, as well as law and anthropology. He currently conducts an interdisciplinary project on “Environmental Rights in Cultural Context” and on rights of nature in Ecuador and Columbia, looking at novel rights-based approaches to environmental protection from local perspectives.

Join us for an interactive and conversational performance including themes of Asian American & Vietnamese identity and LGBTQ+ histories; queer liberation and justice.

Sponsored by the Women’s Center, Rainbow Center and Poetic Release.

Domestic Violence is a pervading issue across our world. During the fiscal year of 2021, over 38,989 people sought domestic violence services in our state of Connecticut alone. This number is not reflective of all those who endure domestic violence, as violence often goes unreported. We need to shatter the silence. Through education, engagement, and empowerment, this program will shed light on domestic violence and create social change.

Join us as we learn, listen, and reflect through small group discussions with facilitators, and engage with experts in domestic violence services about this critical issue.

This event is hosted by the Democracy & Dialogues Initiative, a program of Dodd Human Rights Impact, and The Alyssiah Wiley Program at Western Connecticut State University.

A light dinner will be provided.

Domestic Violence is a pervading issue across our world. During the fiscal year of 2021, over 38,989 people sought domestic violence services in our state of Connecticut alone. This number is not reflective of all those who endure domestic violence, as violence often goes unreported. We need to shatter the silence. Through education, engagement, and empowerment, this program will shed light on domestic violence and create social change.

Join us as we learn, listen, and reflect through small group discussions with facilitators, and engage with experts in domestic violence services about this critical issue.

This event is hosted by the Democracy & Dialogues Initiative, a program of Dodd Human Rights Impact, and The Alyssiah Wiley Program at Western Connecticut State University.

A light dinner will be provided.