Competing Conceptions of Regulatory Competition in Debates on Trade Liberalization and Labour Standards

Abstract

Abstract There has been much confusion and controversy in the popular press, political debates, and academic journals about the impact of trade liberalizing regimes, such as NAFTA or the WTO, upon domestic policy, particularly environmental and labour market regulation. To take the labour market as an example, there are two sorts of questions which are mooted in these dis cussions-first, the direct impact of trade liberalization upon the domestic labour market, i.e., jobs; and second, the indirect impact upon domestic labour market policies and laws. This chapter focuses upon the second debate about the impact of trade liberalization, and economic integration more generally, upon domestic labour market policies-that is, on policies regarding collective bargaining, employment standards, occupational health and safety, etc.