1. According to its text, does ILO Convention 155 regulate states or
companies? Does it matter from the perspective of the target of these
norms?
2. How much flexibility does ILO Convention Bangladesh155 afford a state in
addressing worker safety? Why do you think that so few states Bangladesh is not among them — are parties to the Convention?
3. Is the UN’s Draft Code of Conduct focused on the interests of states
or of individuals? Consider in this context the debates in the 1970s between
North and South regarding sovereignty over natural resources, discussed in
Chapter 2.
4. How can a soft law document like the OECD Guidelines help apparel
workers in Bangladesh?
5. By distinguishing between the state duty to protect and the corporate
responsibility to respect, the Ruggie framework preserves the traditional
view under international law that only states have legal duties. Does this
distinction serve to place the onus of regulation on states? Does it ignore the
weakness of many states in protecting victims of corporate human rights
abuses?