Priya Bala-Miller
Email: | pbalamiller@gmail.com |
Priya Bala-Miller’s research interests focus on the social impact of global businesses and capital markets. Her PhD research, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), analyses the impact of shareholder engagement with companies that operate in “governance grey zones” such as conflict-affected areas and emerging economies. Priya’s research project draws inspiration from her academic and practical experience as an advocate of corporate social responsibility for over ten years.
Following her undergraduate studies in Political Science, she interned and subsequently consulted for the United Nations Environment Programme’s Division for Technology, Industry and Economics in Paris, France. In her next role as Senior Policy Officer at an international consumer rights organization, she led global research and campaigns calling for increased corporate social responsibility in a variety of industry sectors (food, ICT, pharmaceuticals, sportswear and tourism). During this time, she completed an MA in Conflict Analysis and Management from Royal Roads University, where her dissertation examined the role of companies in the trade of conflict minerals originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In addition to her graduate studies, Priya functions as the Program Manager for the Global Unions Committee on Workers’ Capital where she coordinates global shareholder campaigns and research on the integration of extra financial risks in the investment decisions of large institutional investors.
Priya also serves in a voluntary capacity as the Director for Organizational Development at the newly launched Coalition of Universities for Responsible Investing (CURI), the Columbia Foundation’s Scholarship Committee and the UBC Graduate Student Society Council, and actively participates in the following professional networks:
- Canadian Business Ethics Research Network
- United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment Academic Network
- Globescan Sustainability Survey Experts Group
Policy and Research Outputs
Working Papers
Huppé, Gabriel and Priya Bala-Miller. 2011. The Economic Inefficiency of Investor Relations.
Bala-Miller, Priya. 2011. Gender: Afterthought or epilogue in conflict-sensitive business practices?
Policy Reports
Bala-Miller, Priya. Forthcoming. Investing in Decent Work: Occupational health and safety and investment risk. Global Unions Committee on Workers’ Capital: Vancouver
Bala-Miller, Priya. 2010. Investing in Decent Work: Case studies of investor action on forced labour. Global Unions Committee on Workers’ Capital: Vancouver.
Bala-Miller, Priya. 2010. Investing in Decent Work: The case for investor action on forced labour. Global Unions Committee on Workers’ Capital: Vancouver.
Bala-Miller, Priya, Justin Macmullan and Luke Upchurch. 2007. Drugs, Doctors and Dinners: How drug companies influence health in the developing world. Consumers International: London.
Bala, Priya. 2006. Branding the Cure: A consumer perspective on Corporate Social Responsibility, Drug Promotion and the Pharmaceutical Industry in Europe. Consumers International: London.
Documentary
Interviewed on consumer policy for Marketing Overdose: Drug company advertising techniques and the threat of ‘Pharma TV’ (Consumers International, 2007).
Conference and Workshop Presentations
Bala-Miller, Priya (with Gabriel Huppé and Heather Hachigian). 2011. Universities and Responsible Investment. Presentation at the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment Academic Network Conference, Sigtuna, Sweden, 26 September 2011.
Bala-Miller, Priya. 2011. Gender – Afterthought or Epilogue in Conflict-sensitive Business Practices? A case-study of the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights. Panel presentation at the Graduate Student Symposium on Gender, Violence and Armed Conflict, Liu Institute for Global Issues, Vancouver, Canada, 14 April 2011.
Bala-Miller, Priya. 2010. Investing Decent Work: The Case for Investor Action on Forced Labour. Workshop presentation at the Second Triennial Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation, Vancouver, Canada, June 2010.
Bala, Priya. 2007. What Assures Consumers on Climate Change. Workshop presentation at the Fifteenth Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, organised by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York, USA,10 May 2007.
Bala, Priya. 2006. Mainstreaming CSR for Consumers. Keynote panel presentation for the seminar on Communicating to Consumers about CSR in International Trade and Production for OECD Trade Directorate and Dutch Ministry of Trade in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 26 September 2006.
Bala, Priya. 2006. Transparency and Accountability in Drug Information to Consumers. Address to Members of the European Parliament at a meeting of the Health and Consumer Intergroup, organised by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and the European Consumers Organisation (BEUC). European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium, 3 October 2006.
Bala, Priya. 2005. Review of European Sustainable Consumption Policies and Case Studies. Panel presentation at the Regional Cross-Learning Seminar on Sustainable Consumption, organised by the United Nations Environment Programme and the European Commission in Manila, Philippines 15-17 March 2005
Bala, Priya. 2004. Consumer Rights and Responsibilities for Sustainable Consumption. Panel presentation at the European Stakeholder Meeting on Sustainable Consumption and Production (Marrakech Process) Ostend, Belgium, 25-26 November 2004.
Peer Reviews
Waitzer, Ed, Kevin Ranney and Archana Sridhar. 2009. Corporate Social Performance: Reporting Roundtable. Consultation Paper. Hennick Center for Business and Law at York University and Jantzi-Sustainalytics: Toronto.
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). 2007. Corporate Social Responsibility: An Implementation Guide for Business.
Consumers International and AccountAbility. 2007. What Assures Consumers on Climate Change: Switching on Citizen Power. Consumers International: London.
Fleiss, Barbara, Hyung-Jong Lee, Olivia L. Dubreuil and Osvaldo Agatiello. 2006. Corporate Social Responsibility and Trade: Informing Consumers about social and environmental conditions of globalised production. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Trade Policy Working Paper No. 47 – Part 1. OECD Trade Directorate: Paris.
Mortensen, Lars Fogh. 2005. Household consumption and the environment. European Environment Agency: Copenhagen.
European Commission. 2004. Sustainable consumption and production in the European Union (Discussion Paper). European Commission: Luxembourg.