Psychological Oversight: Why Bills Advocating for Transparency Could Do More Harm

Abstract

In an attempt to curtail labor exploitations taking place within the global supply chain, transparency legislations such as the Transparency in UK Company Supply Chains (Eradication of Slavery) Bill 2012-13 and other manifestations of sunshine policies have been on the rise. By incorporating findings from the field of social psychology, this short contribution questions the effectiveness of such measures and highlights some of the lurking risks should the legislators continue to promulgate similar legislations without a deeper understanding and appreciation for human cognition and psyche.