Do Business Schools Play a Role in Normalising Labour Exploitation?

Beyond the Ballot Box · Feb 3, 2026 · 40m

We often discuss the exploitation of labour, especially at the very bottom of the chain, namely the migrant workers who are frequently trapped in conditions that resemble modern-day slavery.

But one thing we haven’t really interrogated is the role of business schools: what they teach, what they leave out, and whether the lessons and curriculum deal primarily with managing a boardroom and ensuring profitability, or if they reflect realities on the ground, where wealth and corporate success are often also built on the backs of exploited labour.

In this episode, we speak to Dr Priya Sharma about…