IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/h/elg/eechap/18768_11.html
   My bibliography  Save this book chapter

The strategy and politics of linking trade and labor standards: an overview of issues and approaches

In: Handbook on Globalisation and Labour Standards

Author

Listed:
  • Sandra Polaski

Abstract

Advocates for workers' rights have long sought to use trade and market access as cross-border leverage to improve labor laws and working conditions. This approach has gradually been integrated into the trade policy of the United States and the European Union, the two largest demandeurs of such linkage. This chapter examines the motives and strategies of the main actors involved, identifying the role of executive and legislative actors and of trade unions and other civil society organizations. It looks at the implementation of the instruments and critiques both US and EU performance, although for different reasons. It suggests lessons that can be drawn from this experience to improve the use of trade policy to achieve real improvements in labor standards globally.

Suggested Citation

  • Sandra Polaski, 2022. "The strategy and politics of linking trade and labor standards: an overview of issues and approaches," Chapters, in: Handbook on Globalisation and Labour Standards, chapter 11, pages 203-225, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    • Handle: RePEc:elg:eechap:18768_11
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/9781788977364/9781788977364.00017.xml
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dür, Andreas & De Bièvre, Dirk, 2007. "Inclusion without Influence? NGOs in European Trade Policy," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(1), pages 79-101, May.
    2. Lisa Lechner, 2016. "The domestic battle over the design of non-trade issues in preferential trade agreements," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(5), pages 840-871, September.
    3. Jeffrey S. Vogt, 2017. "The Bangladesh Sustainability Compact: An Effective Tool for Promoting Workers’ Rights?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(4), pages 80-92.
    4. Günseli Berik & Yana Van Der Meulen Rodgers, 2010. "Options for enforcing labour standards: Lessons from Bangladesh And Cambodia," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(1), pages 56-85.
    5. Polaski, Sandra, 2006. "Combining global and local forces: The case of labor rights in Cambodia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 919-932, May.
    6. Jean-Marc Siroën & David Andrade, 2016. "Regional Trade Agreements and the Spread of International Labours Standards," Working Papers hal-01399908, HAL.
    7. Emilie M. Hafner-Burton & Layna Mosley & Robert Galantucci, 2019. "Protecting Workers Abroad and Industries at Home: Rights-based Conditionality in Trade Preference Programs," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 63(5), pages 1253-1282, May.
    8. Chase, Kerry A., 2003. "Economic Interests and Regional Trading Arrangements: The Case of NAFTA," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 57(1), pages 137-174, January.
    9. Alice Evans, 2019. "Incentivising Pro-Labour Reforms," CID Working Papers 349, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    10. James Harrison & Mirela Barbu & Liam Campling & Ben Richardson & Adrian Smith, 2019. "Governing Labour Standards through Free Trade Agreements: Limits of the European Union's Trade and Sustainable Development Chapters," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(2), pages 260-277, March.
    11. Arianna Rossi and Raymond Robertson, 2011. "Better Factories Cambodia: An Instrument for Improving Industrial Relations in a Transnational Context - Working Paper 256," Working Papers 256, Center for Global Development.
    12. Baccini, Leonardo, 2012. "Democratization and trade policy: an empirical analysis of developing countries," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 44924, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Gasiorek, Michael & Holmes, Peter & Rollo, Jim & Wang, Zhenkun & Gonzalez, Javier Lopez & Parra, Maximiliano Mendez & Maliszewska, Maryla & Paczynski, Wojtek & Cirera, Xavier & Willenbockel, Dirk & Fo, 2010. "Mid-term Evaluation of the EU’s Generalised System of Preferences," Conference papers 331999, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Arif Mostafa Khan & Meine Pieter van Dijk, 2024. "The role of multi‐stakeholder initiatives in advancing circularity and social sustainability in the textiles sector of Bangladesh," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(3), pages 1765-1788, April.
    2. Raymond Robertson & Drusilla Brown & Rajeev Dehejia, 2021. "Working conditions and factory survival: Evidence from better factories Cambodia," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 228-254, February.
    3. Arianna Rossi, 2019. "Applying the GVC framework to policy: The ILO experience," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 2(3), pages 211-216, September.
    4. Raymond Robertson, 2022. "Pioneering a new approach to improving working conditions in developing countries: Better Factories Cambodia," Chapters, in: Handbook on Globalisation and Labour Standards, chapter 20, pages 359-381, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Céline Carrère & Marcelo Olarreaga & Damian Raess, 2022. "Labor clauses in trade agreements: Hidden protectionism?," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 453-483, July.
    6. Aydin Yildirim & Robert Basedow & Matteo Fiorini & Bernard Hoekman, 2021. "EU Trade and Non‐trade Objectives: New Survey Evidence on Policy Design and Effectiveness," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 556-568, May.
    7. Borchert, Ingo & Conconi, Paola & Di Ubaldo, Mattia & Herghelegiu, Cristina, 2021. "The Pursuit of Non-Trade Policy Objectives in EU Trade Policy," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(5), pages 623-647, December.
    8. Chikako Oka, 2014. "Evaluating a Promising Model of Non-State Labor Regulation: The Case of Cambodia's Apparel Sector," Post-Print hal-03181247, HAL.
    9. Basedow, Robert, 2020. "The EU's international investment policy ten years on: the policy-making implications of unintended competence transfers," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 105161, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. DiCaprio, Alisa, 2013. "The Demand Side of Social Protection: Lessons from Cambodia’s Labor Rights Experience," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 108-119.
    11. Mari Kangasniemi & Jukka Pirttilä, 2013. "Trade unions in the south and co-operation between unions in the South and in the North: A survey of the economics literature," Working Papers 285, Työn ja talouden tutkimus LABORE, The Labour Institute for Economic Research LABORE.
    12. Brown, Drusilla & Dehejia, Rajeev & Robertson, Raymond, 2016. "Laws, Costs, Norms, and Learning: Improving Working Conditions in Developing Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 10025, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Kevin Kolben, 2017. "A Supply Chain Approach to Trade and Labor Provisions," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(4), pages 60-68.
    14. Lilac Nachum, 2021. "Value distribution and markets for social justice in global value chains: Interdependence relationships and government policy," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(4), pages 541-563, December.
    15. Andreas Dür & Christoph Moser & Gabriele Spilker, 2020. "The political economy of the European Union," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 561-572, July.
    16. Raymond Robertson, 2020. "Lights On: How Transparency Increases Compliance in Cambodian Global Value Chains," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(4), pages 939-968, August.
    17. Robertson, Raymond, 2019. "Working Conditions, Transparency, and Compliance in Global Value Chains: Evidence from Better Work Jordan," IZA Discussion Papers 12794, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Carlson, Laura A. & Bitsch, Vera, 2018. "Social sustainability in the ready-made-garment sector in Bangladesh: an institutional approach to supply chains," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 21(2), March.
    19. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/8529 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Rana, Arslan Tariq & Kebewar, Mazen, 2014. "The Political Economy of FDI flows into Developing Countries: Does the depth of International Trade Agreements Matter?," EconStor Preprints 91501, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    21. Amin, Mohammed Nafeez Al, 2015. "Implications of TTIP and TPP on Bangladesh and Nepal," Asian Business Review, Asian Business Consortium, vol. 5(1), pages 7-12.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:elg:eechap:18768_11. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Darrel McCalla (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.e-elgar.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.