Re:Structure Lab New Models for an Equitable Economy

Funded by Humanity United and the Freedom Fund, the Re:Structure Lab’s current project draws on recent academic research across several disciplines to develop an ambitious series of Forced Labour Evidence Briefs. Each will make recommendations for how to restructure business models and supply chains to promote equitable labour standards and protect workers from forced labour and exploitation. Research areas include, but are not limited to: the systemic drivers of human trafficking, forced labour, and slavery in supply chains and how these differ across sectors and local contexts; how these drivers and patterns link to systemic features of capitalism; the failures of dominant government and corporate social responsibility initiatives to prevent and address forced labour, human trafficking and slavery; and promising initiatives (eg. alterations to business practices, worker-led strategies for change) to overcome shortcomings. Representing Stanford University, Simon Fraser University, University of Michigan, and Yale University, our Lab brings together multi-disciplinary academic expertise on severe labour exploitation with valuable practical experience in business model innovation and policy change at local and global levels.