Professor Veronica Root awarded research grant for ‘dignity of work’ project

Associate Professor Veronica Root

Veronica Root, an associate professor of law at Notre Dame Law School, was among 20 University of Notre Dame faculty members who received grants this week through the Notre Dame Research Internal Grant Program.

Root was awarded a grant for her project titled, “Reclaiming the dignity of work through varied methods of assessment.”

The research project will critically examine, via scholarly tools from a variety of disciplines, some of the most egregious corporate scandals of our time for the purpose of producing tangible steps that organizations can take to prevent future misconduct. When a workplace is plagued with illegal and inappropriate conduct, it erodes the dignity of the associated workers. And as corporate misconduct continues to occur in new and significant ways, the importance of (i) identifying the root cause of organizational wrongdoing and (ii) developing strategies for reform continues to grow.

“I am humbled and thrilled that the University decided to support this research project,” she said. “As our first inquiry, myself and individuals from other University departments will be meeting later this year to collaborate on ways to address sexual harassment in the workplace.”

Root joined Notre Dame Law School’s faculty in 2014.

She writes about and researches issues related to corporate compliance, drawing on scholarship from areas of professional ethics, corporate governance, employment law, corporate social responsibility, and organizational behavior. She investigates the institutional mechanisms that private firms can use to improve long-term compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, promote greater ethicality within organizational environments, and encourage the development of diversity and inclusion norms. 

The Notre Dame Research Internal Grant Program aims to support faculty researchers and programs that advance the University’s research enterprise, scholarly output, and creative endeavor through a competitive funding process.

“The Internal Grant Program allows Notre Dame Research to grant funding to projects that are distinctly Notre Dame and support projects that span across the colleges and schools,” said Hildegund Muller, associate vice president for research and professor of classics. “This year’s recipients showcase the vast contributions our faculty and researchers have to offer the University, the city of South Bend, and the greater research community.”