Research

Nicole Janz is a PhD candidate at the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at Cambridge University. Her research focuses on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human rights. Before that she analyzed American Civil Religion. Her research is guided by the following questions:

 

Business and Human Rights

  • Can multinational companies (MNCs) have a positive impact on human rights?
  • What relationship exists between the concepts of corporate social responsibility and human rights?
  • What are the main factors influencing CSR commitment of MNCs in developing countries?

American Civil Religion

  • Is American Civil Relgion as 'invented' by sociologist Robert N. Bellah still an appropriate concept to analyze American society?
  • Did former U.S. president George W. Bush use overly religious language, or just civil religious language?
  • How did George W. Bush utilize civil religious themes (freedom, mission, rebirth...) after September 11?

Philosophy of Human Rights

  • How do different religions and cultures contribute to international human rights standards?
  • Can Western concepts of human rights be applied to other cultures?
  • How did the United States implement human rights concepts in their foreign policy?

For my work on some of those questions please click publications