Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

2-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

Liberal Studies

Advisor

John Krinsky

Subject Categories

International Relations | Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation

Keywords

Theories of Policy Process, CSR Policy Development, Development of International Regulations, The Rana Plaza Collapse, The Accord

Abstract

This research offers a new way to show how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy decisions are made in complex international settings. A theoretical framework based on Baumgartner and Jones’ Punctuated Equilibrium Theory and John Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Approach is used to explore the development of the Accord on the Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh as a proposed independent and legally binding agreement governing garment factory conditions in that country. The Accord led to a series of audits aimed at reforming a large part of Bangladesh’s garment industry, hence there has been a shift in a working environment ensuring the safety of garment workers. The case study of the Rana Plaza factory disaster shows how this tragedy contributed to CSR policy development, combining with years of preparatory work by labor and worker-safety advocates. The thesis shows, therefore, how theories of the policy process designed generally to explain policymaking in the United States at a national level can help to explain the development of international regulations in the absence of a strong, central state, and in the midst of powerful countervailing forces.

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