OXFORD, Miss. – A renowned economist and labor activist
visits the University of Mississippi Tuesday (April 8) to
lecture on how ethical accountability is gaining momentum
in the world’s economy.
Michael Conroy, former professor of economics at the
University of Texas in Austin and a former academic of Yale
University, plans to discuss “How the ‘Certification
Revolution’ Empowers Students to Change Corporate
Practices!” The presentation, at 7 p.m. in the Croft
Institute, Room 107, is free and open to the public.
Conroy is the author of “Branded!: How the ‘Certification
Revolution’ is Transforming Global Corporations.” In it, he
addresses how consumers are increasingly vocal about a
company’s labor and environmental practices, and how
companies can turn that awareness into a marketing
advantage by labeling their products accordingly.
“Mainstream stores are picking up and greatly expanding the
sale of Fair Trade-certified and FSC-certified and
MSC-certified products,” Conroy recently said in an
interview with www.grist.org, an environmental news Web
site. “The tipping point will come not when everything is
certified, but when most consumers will pick up a package
and look to see who’s certifying the ethical side of a
product.”
The presentation focuses on certification as a system to
promote corporate, social and environmental accountability,
said Kathleen O’Neil, assistant director of Croft Institute
for International Studies. Activists, including many
college students, have already helped usher in business
practices that are better for the environment or that
guarantee fair pay for farmers and other workers, she
said.
“This lecture will be of interest to people who are
concerned about the environment and the social costs of
globalization,” O’Neil said. “It will also interest people
who would like to know how businesses can benefit from
being more environmentally and socially responsible. Anyone
who is just curious about the labels that are increasingly
appearing on certain products will enjoy what Conroy has to
say.”
Some product labels Conroy plans to discuss include “Fair
Trade,” “Rainforest Alliance Certified” and “Forest
Stewardship Council Certified,” O’Neil said.
Douglas Sullivan-Gonzalez, dean of the UM Sally McDonnell
Barksdale Honors College, studied under Conroy and said his
former professor is tuned into the environment and an
activist for fair trade labor.
“We all must be made aware of the ethical implications of
what we consume,” Sullivan-Gonzalez said. “Dr. Conroy is an
energetic and creative teacher. He makes the world of
economics practical and accessible to others. He makes a
difficult world understandable.”
For more information about the Croft Institute, visit
For more information about Michael Conroy visit