The OECD recommends that governments put in place laws and regulations to strengthen responsible business conduct. In recent years, many governments have introduced legislation which embeds expectations for business to carry out or report on human rights and environmental due diligence. Such legislation is often modelled on, or rooted in, OECD standards on responsible business conduct, which helps ensure coherent and effective approaches across countries in global supply chains.

The OECD supports policymakers and other stakeholders involved in developing, enforcing, monitoring or responding to legislation on responsible business conduct. OECD Policy Reviews examine the legislation, regulations and policies of a given country, looking at the areas covered in OECD Guidelines such as human rights, labour rights, the environment, and anti-corruption. The OECD also provides technical papers, research, tools and other resources related to the design and implementation of regulation drawing on OECD standards on responsible business conduct.

Governments have an important role to play in leading by example. For instance, governments are the largest buyers of goods and services. On average, public procurement accounts for around 13% of GDP in OECD countries and is critical to the delivery of services like infrastructure, health and education. State-owned enterprises, an important actor in many economies, are increasingly implementing RBC standards. Government-provided equity, debt, grants, loans, guarantees, or insurance can also incentivise companies towards more responsible business practices.

The OECD carries out analyses of policies and practices for integrating responsible business conduct in the commercial activities of governments and facilitates sharing of experiences and good practices within and between governments.