Why Teaching Democratic Resilience Needs to Be Part of Business Education

February 23, 2026

The semester at the University of Geneva began this week, and I will be teaching Business and Human Rights (BHR) in both the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, reaching approximately 100 students.

In the current geopolitical context, teaching BHR requires a return to basics—specifically, to the fundamental links between democracy, human rights, and business.

Respect for, and the promotion and protection of, human rights form the bedrock upon which democratic systems are built. Core elements of democratic governance, including equality and non-discrimination, freedom of expression, and freedom of association, are firmly grounded in international human rights law.

Democracy and human rights are therefore interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Where human rights are respected, promoted, and protected, democracy can take root and flourish.

The same logic applies to the relationship between business and democracy. The Nobel Prize laureates in economics in 2024—Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson—have demonstrated through a substantial body of work the central role that the rule of law and strong institutions play in enabling sustainable economic development. For business students, these connections must be made explicit. Protecting the institutional and legal framework conditions that underpin markets is not only normatively important; it also makes sound long-term business sense.

Yet current global trends are deeply concerning. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2024, less than half of the world’s population now lives in a democracy, and the global average democracy score has fallen to its lowest level in decades. This decline reflects widespread democratic backsliding and growing public discontent with democratic systems—sentiments that have also been expressed in elections around the world.

Given the pivotal role that democracy and human rights play in shaping stable and predictable business environments, these trends point to a troubling outlook for sustainable business success. This raises urgent questions for the private sector: what can businesses do to protect the rule of law and contribute to democratic resilience through their operations, value chains, and influence?

Companies can, within their sphere of influence, set a powerful example for employees and business partners alike. They can do so by adopting operating principles aligned with international human rights standards, embedding democratic values within their own governance structures, and engaging constructively with stakeholders across their supply chains and industries. Concretely, this requires action on several fronts:

Establish operating principles grounded in international human rights standards

Companies should articulate clear operating principles that guide corporate decision-making in alignment with international human rights law. These principles must apply consistently—including in times of crisis, geopolitical tension, or difficult trade-offs. Firms that anchor their strategy in such principles simplify decision-making and signal internally and externally that respect for the rule of law is not optional, but foundational to business. A principled corporate ethos strengthens institutional resilience and reduces the temptation of short-term opportunism.Practice democracy within the corporation

Democratic governance should not be viewed as external to business operations. The more deeply democratic principles—equal opportunity, inclusive dialogue, transparency, and respect for dissent—are embedded within corporate culture, the greater the likelihood that these practices will extend beyond the firm. History demonstrates this dynamic. In apartheid-era South Africa, trade unions transformed workplaces into sites of political mobilization. By demanding the right to collective representation and negotiation, unions established democratic, representative structures within otherwise authoritarian environments. Corporations can serve as spaces where democratic habits are learned, practiced, and normalized.Promote democratic decision-making at the industry level

No single company can address systemic human rights risks alone. Industry-wide challenges—whether related to labor standards, environmental harm, or corruption—require collective solutions. Companies should therefore actively participate in multi-stakeholder initiatives that bring together business, civil society, academia, and governments. In such deliberative forums, industry standards and feasible implementation strategies can be developed collaboratively.

These platforms can also engage governments and contribute to strengthening public governance, creating a robust, stable environment for business and leveling the playing field for companies that take human rights seriously. For example, the Fair Labor Association has repeatedly engaged with governments to advocate for more effective labor regulations, including adjustments to minimum wage levels within global supply chains, contributing to measurable improvements in wage payments for workers. In this way, collective action can reinforce both private regulatory mechanisms and public enforcement capacity, enhancing the overall effectiveness of labor governance systems.

Teaching these practices, however, requires confronting how business education has historically failed to make these connections explicit. Manfred Grieger, former corporate historian at Volkswagen—a German car manufacturer grappling with its legacy of complicity in the Holocaust—argues that contemporary management education contributed to a paradigm in which many managers prioritize short-term gains above all else. The next generation of business leaders must understand the role democracy plays in sustaining markets and enabling long-term economic stability. They must also acquire the practical tools needed to foster democratic resilience within and beyond their organizations. Courses in Business and Human Rights can make explicit what business education has long taken for granted: there is no sustainable business without democracy.

The students filing into my classroom this semester are among the future business leaders who will determine whether democratic institutions hold. My colleagues and I have a duty to ensure that the education they receive equips them with the skills necessary for new forms of multilateral cooperation and collective governance—skills that business education has too long treated as peripheral. The long-term success of a globalized economy will depend not only on innovation and competitiveness, but also on the preservation and strengthening of the democratic institutions that make markets possible, and on leaders who understand why that preservation is their responsibility too.

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