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Seminar on ‘Global Value Chain Governance: A Socio-Legal Study of Voluntarism in the European Context’ (Dr Nevena Jevremović)
October 22, 2025 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Join us in Taylor A08 or on Teams for a talk by Nevena Jevremović (Law) on ‘Global Value Chain Governance: A Socio-Legal Study of Voluntarism in the European Context.’
Drawing on a range of interventions from law, political economy, and development studies, the seminar will explore the exercise of discursive power that resulted in a shift of governance models toward self-regulation and voluntarism as necessary to sustain the transition from nationally bounded (Fordism) to globally fragmented production (Global Value Chains). In this context, the seminar will trace the shifts along three mutually reinforcing narratives: freedom of contract, production efficiency, and voluntary enforcement of responsible business conduct, to show how the shift in the production model to GVCs necessitated the contract—being the most flexible and adaptable private law instrument—to occupy a central role in governance, both practically and conceptually. With a focus on party autonomy, it will show how the evolution in the discourse around corporate accountability for adverse impacts facilitated the regulatory function of contracts in transnational governance ultimately resulting to contractually designed human rights and environmental due diligence obligations.
All are welcome – we’re a friendly, interdisciplinary group open to PhD students and staff alike!
