The ILO and the promotion of social dialogue at the global and national level

The chapter examines the promotion of the ILO’s decent work agenda at global and national level. The ILO, which acts as a knowledge creator and standard setter, cooperates with inter-governmental organizations including the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to promote social dialogue. The chapter highlights some of the joint initiatives and examines organizational characteristics which promote and hinder the dialogue including, for example, organizational missions, values, and approaches to economics. At the national level the implementation of the social dialogue is strongly influenced by institutions such as employment and trade union laws and the organizational strength of social partners. In this context the examples of the UK and Spain highlight some of the differences between liberal market economies and Southern European welfare regime and consider the importance of social dialogue during times of crisis, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.