Competing conceptualizations of decent work: measurement and policy coherence challenges

Decent work as a normative concept has re-emerged on global and national policy agendas in periods of crises. Despite efforts like the Decent Work Agenda to promote a common narrative, several conceptualizations of decent work are operating globally, which are highly subject to contestation, cooptation and multiple interpretations. This chapter includes a brief review of different work configurations from informal work to gig work to precarious work. Different competing frames for decent work are then explored by interrogating issues of governance and power relations between diverse actors, and in the context of selected Sustainable Development Goals. By applying the intersectionality-based policy analysis framework, which elucidates the root causes of social, economic, gender and health inequities, different approaches to realizing and measuring decent work are further analyzed. These include the tensions between vertical versus intersectional approaches to decent work, and the advantages and limitations of using narrowly defined indicators about work.