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Does Lean Improve Labor Standards? Management and Social Performance in the Nike Supply Chain

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  • Distelhorst, Greg

    (University of Oxford)

  • Hainmueller, Jens

    (Stanford University)

  • Locke, Richard M.

    (Brown University)

Abstract

This study tests the hypothesis that lean manufacturing improves the social performance of manufacturers in emerging markets. We analyze an intervention by Nike Inc. to promote the adoption of lean manufacturing in its apparel supply chain across eleven developing countries. Using difference-in-differences estimates from a panel of over three hundred factories, we find that lean adoption was associated with a 15 percentage point reduction in noncompliance with labor standards that primarily reflect factory wage and work hour practices. However, we find a null effect on factory health and safety standards. This pattern is consistent with a causal mechanism that links lean to improved social performance through changes in labor relations, rather than improved management systems. These findings offer evidence that capability-building interventions may reduce social harm in global supply chains.

Suggested Citation

  • Distelhorst, Greg & Hainmueller, Jens & Locke, Richard M., 2015. "Does Lean Improve Labor Standards? Management and Social Performance in the Nike Supply Chain," Research Papers 3465, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecl:stabus:3465
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    File URL: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/gsb-cmis/gsb-cmis-download-auth/423191
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    Cited by:

    1. Julia Cajal-Grossi & Rocco Macchiavello & Guillermo Noguera, 2023. "Buyers’ Sourcing Strategies and Suppliers’ Markups in Bangladeshi Garments," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 138(4), pages 2391-2450.
    2. Greg Distelhorst & Richard M. Locke & Timea Pal & Hiram Samel, 2015. "Production goes global, compliance stays local: Private regulation in the global electronics industry," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(3), pages 224-242, September.

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