Research

 

Business and Economies Programme

What are the impacts of slavery on our economies and how can businesses tackle slavery?

We know that modern slavery exerts a disproportionate drag on economies, inhibiting social and economic development for free people as well as the enslaved. The UK Government’s own analysis calculates the economic cost of modern slavery in the UK at between £3.3 and £4.3 billion. We argue that ending slavery would mean a better economic situation for everyone.  

In our Business and Economies Programme, business scholars, economists, sociologists, political scientists, and computer scientists are measuring demand and supply for slave labour, demonstrating slavery’s impact on a country’s economy and economic benefits of ending slavery. Our analyses are revealing the economic value of slavery-free production and making the business, as well as the ethical, case for slavery-free supply chains.  

This includes extensive work on slavery in supply chains. We work with partners to change supply chain design in response to findings—from international businesses to local government procurement. Some of our experts also focus on key high-risk sectors for labour exploitation, including social care, car washes, agriculture and construction.  

For example, we have created a Modern Slavery Risk Barometer. By incorporating modern slavery risk into the decision-making of global supply chains and investors, we can enable stakeholders to measure their exposure to slavery, measure progress, and build a commercial case for modern slavery prevention. The Barometer helps us understand at which point in the supply chain modern slavery is likely to occur, and so enables businesses to understand the impact of their decisions and allocate resources towards improvement. 


Programme experts

Alexander Trautrims

Alexander Trautrims

Description
Rights Lab Associate Director (Business and Economies Programme) and Professor of Supply Chain Management
Lola Young

Lola Young

Description
Honorary Rights Lab Professor of Antislavery Policy and Business
Sara Thornton

Sara Thornton

Description
Rights Lab Professor of Practice in Modern Slavery Policy
Thomas Chesney

Thomas Chesney

Description
Rights Lab Professor of Computational Social Science
Caroline Emberson

Caroline Emberson

Description
Rights Lab Rights Lab Assistant Professor in Operations Management
Ben Brewster

Ben Brewster

Description
Rights Lab Lead in Technology and Exploitation and Assistant Professor in Information Systems
Oana Burcu

Oana Burcu

Description
Rights Lab Senior Research Fellow in Global Regulations and Labour Exploitation
Martin Hughes

Martin Hughes

Description
Rights Lab Research Fellow in Modelling and Measurement
Nidhi Sharma

Nidhi Sharma

Description
UfN Co(l)laboratory Programme PhD Student
Michelle Stirk

Michelle Stirk

Description
Rights Lab Associate Professor in Accounting
Sabina Lawreniuk

Sabina Lawreniuk

Description
Rights Lab Nottingham Research Fellow in Gender, Activism and the Garment Industry
Lara Bianchi

Lara Bianchi

Description
Rights Lab Assistant Professor in Business and Society
Lee Matthews

Lee Matthews

Description
Rights Lab Assistant Professor in Business and Society
Subhan Ullah

Subhan Ullah

Description
Rights Lab Associate Professor in Accounting
Anne Touboulic

Anne Touboulic

Description
Rights Lab Associate Professor in Operations Management
Facundo Albornoz Crespo

Facundo Albornoz Crespo

Description
Rights Lab Professor of Economics
Mihaela Kelemen

Mihaela Kelemen

Description
Rights Lab Professor of Business and Society
Luis Torres

Luis Torres

Description
Rights Lab Assistant Professor in Organisational Behaviour, Business & Society
Annamaria La Chimia

Annamaria La Chimia

Description
Rights Lab Associate Professor of Law and Development
Andrew Phillips

Andrew Phillips

Description
Rights Lab Visiting Fellow in Modern Slavery Corporate Responses
Katherine Y. Conroy

Katherine Y. Conroy

Description
Rights Lab Visiting Fellow in Anti-Slavery Innovation and Financial Crime Analytics
Akilah Jardine

Akilah Jardine

Description
Rights Lab Visiting Fellow in Antislavery Business
Denise Fletcher

Denise Fletcher

Description
Rights Lab Visiting Professor in Business and Economies
Tina Davis

Tina Davis

Description
Rights Lab Visiting Professor in Migration, Business and Society
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