This
project examines the social practices of European firms
in the context of economic globalization, exploring the
relationship between social responsibility, international
trade, and the rights of people at work.
This multidisciplinary, comparative approach will contribute
to the creation of a European research area in social and
human sciences.
The project is based on hypotheses designed around the concept
of a Community "codification" of social ethics,
consistent with the European strategy of developing social
governance.
The
project has four objectives:
- a status report on the situation in seven European Union
member states: Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands,
the United Kingdom, and France;
- a classification of data collected inside and outside
the companies (in compliance with the rules of ethics) with
a view to establishing a multidisciplinary, comparative
typology;
- a legal, sociological, and economic evaluation of the
spontaneous regulation of corporate social practices, with
a view to proposing a regulatory instrument;
- modeling these practices on the basis of social and economic
indicators in order to 1) determine whether or not there
is a European model of external social responsibility and
2) demonstrate that compliance with fundamental rights by
European companies operating outside the Community is not
detrimental to their competitiveness and may be a source
of sustainable development.
The
research project will be based on social science methods,
involving the collection of qualitative and quantitative
data, and using econometric methodology to design and test
the economic and social indicators. All these elements will
be combined in a systemic analysis.
