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The Generalized System of Preferences and NGO activism

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  • Lionel Fontagné

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, Banque de France - Banque de France - Banque de France, CEPII - Centre d'Etudes Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales - Centre d'analyse stratégique)

  • Michela Limardi

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Lille)

Abstract

Can NGOs contribute to the implementation of Labor Laws in a developing country? We exploit as a quasi-natural experiment the renegotiation of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) between the US and Indonesia in 1994, which induced the Indonesian government to raise the level of the legal minimum wage. Using data from Indonesian manufacturing firms, a diff-in-diff analysis and an event study show that the activism of workers' rights groups helped increase firm-level average wages up to the minimum-wage level, not only inside but also outside the export sector. Labor NGO activism helped to implement the new minimum wage standards in a country that lacked strong governmental institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Lionel Fontagné & Michela Limardi, 2024. "The Generalized System of Preferences and NGO activism," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-04408964, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:cesptp:halshs-04408964
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2023.103207
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    Cited by:

    1. Koenig, Pamina & Krautheim, Sebastian & Löhnert, Claudius & Verdier, Thierry, 2021. "Local global watchdogs: Trade, sourcing and the internationalization of social activism," Passauer Diskussionspapiere, Volkswirtschaftliche Reihe V-86-21, University of Passau, Faculty of Business and Economics.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J52 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Dispute Resolution: Strikes, Arbitration, and Mediation
    • J80 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - General

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