This article examines how ill-defined legal norms around modern slavery are being outlined in supply chain legislation and then interpreted by management professionals. Building on an infrastructural analysis of supply chain governance, I uncover the set of practices that underlie recent regulations around modern slavery. I track the implementation of these laws by following the “chain of translation,” whereby information is transformed from on-the-ground raw data, to quantitative metrics of modern slavery risks, and, finally, to polished corporate statements. This analysis focuses on the critical role being played by the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), which is a platform for sharing responsible sourcing data. While Sedex is not an auditor and is not governed by lawyers, it is nonetheless serving an important function in interpreting legal norms around modern slavery and facilitating the implementation of supply chain laws. Yet there are potential costs to its expansive role. Sedex is translating modern slavery into a management problem largely based on quantitative metrics such as indicators and risk scorecards. While Sedex provides limited opportunities for public participation, it needs to be more transparent with respect to the methodology behind its metrics and provide further opportunities for comment by parties underrepresented in its governance.

中文翻译：

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将现代奴隶制转化为管理实践

本文探讨了关于现代奴隶制的定义不明确的法律规范如何在供应链立法中被概述，然后由管理专业人员进行解释。在对供应链治理的基础设施分析的基础上，我揭示了构成近期现代奴隶制法规基础的一系列实践。我通过遵循“翻译链”来跟踪这些法律的实施，将信息从实地原始数据转换为现代奴隶制风险的量化指标，最后转化为完善的公司声明。该分析侧重于供应商道德数据交换 (Sedex) 发挥的关键作用，这是一个共享负责任采购数据的平台。虽然 Sedex 不是审计员，也不受律师管辖，尽管如此，它在解释有关现代奴隶制的法律规范和促进供应链法律的实施方面发挥着重要作用。然而，它的广泛作用也有潜在的成本。Sedex 正在将现代奴隶制转化为主要基于量化指标（如指标和风险记分卡）的管理问题。尽管 Sedex 为公众参与提供的机会有限，但它需要在衡量指标背后的方法方面更加透明，并为治理中代表性不足的各方提供进一步的评论机会。Sedex 正在将现代奴隶制转化为主要基于量化指标（如指标和风险记分卡）的管理问题。尽管 Sedex 为公众参与提供的机会有限，但它需要在衡量指标背后的方法方面更加透明，并为治理中代表性不足的各方提供进一步的评论机会。Sedex 正在将现代奴隶制转化为主要基于量化指标（如指标和风险记分卡）的管理问题。尽管 Sedex 为公众参与提供的机会有限，但它需要在衡量指标背后的方法方面更加透明，并为治理中代表性不足的各方提供进一步的评论机会。