LABOR HISTORY SYMPOSIUM

Abstract

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes Maskus, Should Core Labor Standards Be Imposed? —— Should Core Labor Standards Be Imposed through International Trade Policy? Washington, DC: World Bank 1997 [Google Scholar] Panagariya, ‘TRIPs and the WTO.’ Panagariya Arvind ‘TRIPs and the WTO: An Uneasy Marriage.’ In The Next Trade Negotiating Round: Examining the Agenda for Seattle edited by Bhagwati Jagdish New York: Columbia University Department of Economics, Law School and Center for Japanese Economy and Business 1999 [Google Scholar] Maskus, ‘Regulatory Standards in the WTO.’ Maskus, Keith, E. 2002. ‘Regulatory Standards in the WTO: Comparing Intellectual Property Rights with Competition Policy, Environmental Protection, and Core Labor Standards.’, World Trade Review, 1: 135–52. [Google Scholar] A related concern, that weak standards in poor countries would generate a ‘race to the bottom’ and induce rich countries to reduce their own protection, has not been borne out in practice. Brown et al., ‘International Labor Standards and Trade.’ Brown Drusilla Deardorff Alan Stern Robert ‘International Labor Standards and Trade: A Theoretical Analysis.’ In Harmonization and Fair Trade edited by Bhagwati Jagdish Hudec Robert 1 Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press 1996 [Google Scholar] Maier, ‘The Perspective of the International Labor Organization,’ Maier Heribert ‘The Perspective of the International Labor Organization.’ In International Labor Standards and Global Economic Integration: Proceedings of a Symposium Washington: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, US Department of Labor 1994 [Google Scholar] 12, emphasis added. CEA, Economic Report of the Presiden Council of Economic Advisers Economic Report of the President Washington 1995 [Google Scholar], 250, emphasis added. On trade and human rights, see Srinivasan, ‘Trade and Human Rights.’ ——. ‘Trade and Human Rights.’ In Constituent Interests and U.S. Trade Policies edited by Deardorff Alan, V Stern Robert, M Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1998, Reprinted 2001 as Economic Growth Center Reprint No. 563 [Google Scholar] WTO, Ministerial Declaration. In emphasizing the pre‐eminence of the ILO on labor issues, the ministers were only affirming the logic of assignment of institutional mandates. Tinbergen (On the Theory of Economic Policy —— On the Theory of Economic Policy Amsterdam: North Holland 1952 [Google Scholar]; Economic Policy) Tinbergen Jan Economic Policy: Principles and Design Amsterdam: North Holland 1956 [Google Scholar] argued that, in general, one needs as many policy instruments as there are objectives and that in achieving any objective that policy instrument which has the most direct impact on that objective is most likely, though not always, to do so at least social cost. Using one instrument to achieve several objectives would result in achieving none of the objectives efficiently. The same logic applies to assignment of institutional mandates—loading one agency, say the WTO, that is specialized in trade with matters that fall within the purview of another, namely the ILO, is not conducive to efficiency. Anti‐sweatshop campaigns and company codes of conduct have the potential both for ensuring that workers are not exploited and for being open to protectionist capture as well as ineffectual, if not positively harmful, in improving the condition of workers. Obviously, which of the two is realized is not a deep issue of logic or of general principle, but only an empirical one of dependence of specific circumstances. This is also true of globalization in general. Moehling, ‘State Child Labor Laws.’ Moehling, Carolyn. 1999. ‘State Child Labor Laws and the Decline of Child Labor.’, Explorations in Economic History, 36, 73 [Google Scholar] Engerman, ‘The History and Political Economy.’ Engerman Stanley, L ‘The History and Political Economy of International Labor Standards.’ In International Labor Standards: History, Theory and Policy Options edited by Basu Kaushik Horn Henrik Roma´n Lisa Shapiro Judith Malden, Mass.: Blackwell 2003 [Google Scholar] Ibid., 60. See Singh, ‘The Theory of International Labor Standards,’ Singh Nirvikar ‘The Theory of International Labor Standards.’ In International Labor Standards: History, Theory and Policy Options edited by Basu Kaushik Horn Henrik Roma´n Lisa Shapiro Judith Malden, Mass.: Blackwell 2003 [Google Scholar] for a survey. See also Srinivasan, ‘International Trade and Labour Standards.’ Srinivasan TN ‘International Trade and Labour Standards from an Economic Perspective.’ In Challenges to the New World Trade Organization edited by van Dijck Pitou Faber Gerrit Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International 1996 [Google Scholar] It is worth noting that in the ILO self‐employed and informal sector workers, who constitute a majority of workers in developing countries, are not adequately represented at all. This could result in ILO adopting measures that affect these workers without their being heard. Staiger, ‘The International Organization and Enforcement,’ Staiger Robert, W ‘The International Organization and Enforcement of Labor Standards.’ In International Labor Standards: History, Theory and Policy Options edited by Basu Kaushik Horn Henrik Roma´n Lisa Shapiro Judith Malden, Mass.: Blackwell 2003 [Google Scholar] 304. The view expressed herein are those of the author David Kucera and not necessarily the organizations with which he is affiliated. Hatem, International Investment. Hatem Fabrice International Investment: Towards the Year 2001 New York: United Nations 1997 [Google Scholar] Wood, ‘How Trade Hurt Unskilled Workers.’ Wood, Adrian. 1995. ‘How Trade Hurt Unskilled Workers.’, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 9(no. 3): 57–80. [Google Scholar] Kucera and Sarna, ‘How Do Trade Union Rights Affect Trade Performance?’ —— ‘How Do Trade Union Rights Affect Trade Performance?’ Working Paper No. 39, Geneva: Policy Integration Department, International Labour Organization 2004 [Google Scholar]; ‘Child Labour, Education and Export Performance.’ Kucera David Sarna Ritash Child Labour, Education and Export Performance: A Bilateral Gravity Model Approach. Geneva: International Labor Organization, forthcoming [Google Scholar] International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, Every Child Counts International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour Every Child Counts: New Global Estimates on Child Labour Geneva: International Labor Organization 2002 [Google Scholar]. See Gumbrell‐McCormick, ‘Facing New Challenges;’ Gumbrell‐McCormick R ‘Facing New Challenges.’ In The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions edited by van der Linden M Bern: Peter Lang 2000 [Google Scholar] ‘The ICFTU and the World Economy.’ —— ‘The ICFTU and the World Economy: A Historical Perspective.’ In Labour and Globalisation: Results and Prospects edited by Munck R Liverpool: Liverpool University Press 2004 [Google Scholar] European Commission, The Social Dimension of Globalisation —— The Social Dimension of Globalisation: The EU's Policy Contribution on Extending the Benefits to All Brussels 2004 [Google Scholar]; Stiglitz, Globalization and Its Discontents. Stiglitz J Globalization and Its Discontents London: Allen Lane 2002 [Google Scholar] Sengenberger, Globalization and Social Progress; Sengenberger W Globalization and Social Progress: The Role and Impact of International Labour Standards Bonn: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung 2002 [Google Scholar] ILO, A Fair Globalization. International Labour Office. A Fair Globalization: The Role of the ILO Geneva 2004 [Google Scholar] Gumbrell‐McCormick, ‘Facing New Challenges;’ Gumbrell‐McCormick R ‘Facing New Challenges.’ In The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions edited by van der Linden M Bern: Peter Lang 2000 [Google Scholar] ‘The ICFTU and the World Economy.’ —— ‘The ICFTU and the World Economy: A Historical Perspective.’ In Labour and Globalisation: Results and Prospects edited by Munck R Liverpool: Liverpool University Press 2004 [Google Scholar] ICFTU, A Trade Union Guide, 43–44. Wills, ‘Bargaining for the Space to Organise;’ Wills J ‘Bargaining for the Space to Organise in the Global Economy: A Review of the Accor–IUF Trade Union Rights Agreement,’ paper presented to SASE conference, Aix en Provence 26–28 June 2003 [Google Scholar] European Industrial Relations Review, ‘Update in Global Agreements.’ European Industrial Relations Review ‘Update on Global Agreements.’ June 2003 26 30 [Google Scholar] Gumbrell‐McCormick, ‘The ICFTU and the World Economy,’ —— ‘The ICFTU and the World Economy: A Historical Perspective.’ In Labour and Globalisation: Results and Prospects edited by Munck R Liverpool: Liverpool University Press 2004 [Google Scholar] 39–41. Ibid., 40. Ibid., 47. European Commission, The Social Dimension of Globalisation. —— The Social Dimension of Globalisation: The EU's Policy Contribution on Extending the Benefits to All Brussels 2004 [Google Scholar] Ibid., 10. Ibid., 15. Ibid., Promoting a European Framework European Commission Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility Luxembourg: European Communities 2002 [Google Scholar]. The authors acknowledge a similar proposal from the ICFTU. See Lee, The Labour Movement and the Internet —— On the Theory of Economic Policy Amsterdam: North Holland 1952 [Google Scholar]. Kyloh, ‘The Governance of Globalization.’ Kyloh R ‘The Governance of Globalization: The ILO's Contribution,’ In Mastering the Challenge of Globalization: Towards a Trade Union Agenda edited by Kyloh R Geneva: ILO 1998 [Google Scholar] Freeman, ‘War of the Models,’ Freeman, Richard, B. 1998. ‘War of the Models: Which Labour Market Institutions?’, Labour Economics, 5: 1–24. [Google Scholar] analyzes the debate over different models of capitalism which underlies the debate over globalization's rules. See also Elliott et al., ‘Assessing Globalization's Critics.’ Elliott Kimberly Ann Kar Debayani Richardson J, David ‘Assessing Globalization's Critics: Talkers Are No Good Doers?’ In Challenges to Globalization: Analyzing the Economics edited by Baldwin Robert, E Winters L, Alan Chicago: University of Chicago Press for the National Bureau of Economic Research 2004 [Google Scholar] Griffin et al., ‘Trade Unions and the Social Cause’, 2. Griffin Gerard Nyland Chris O'Rourke Anne ‘Trade Unions and The Social Clause: A North–South Union Divide?’ Working Paper No. 81, National Key Centre in Industrial Relations, Monash University, Melbourne 2002 [Google Scholar]