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Reassembling social defragmented responsibilities: the indecent labour footprint of US multinationals overseas

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  • Ángela García-Alaminos
  • Mateo Ortiz
  • Guadalupe Arce
  • Jorge Zafrilla

Abstract

Multinational corporations (MNEs) have been at the forefront of the geographical disintegration of production chains in search of lower salaries, among other reasons, which led to a global race to the bottom in labour standards. Therefore, significant amounts of indecent work are currently embodied in MNEs’ global value chains, compromising not only the brands’ corporative image but also the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. In this work, we shed light on this matter by estimating the indecent-work-conditions related impacts linked to the foreign activities of MNEs from the United States. Using a socially extended MRIO model that integrates three social indicators (forced labour, fatal and nonfatal occupational injuries), we found that these activities show increasing trends between 2009 and 2013 on indecent labour, contributing with 1.1%–1.3% of the global cases. United States affiliates located in India, China and Brazil, show the highest ratios per unit of value-added.

Suggested Citation

  • Ángela García-Alaminos & Mateo Ortiz & Guadalupe Arce & Jorge Zafrilla, 2021. "Reassembling social defragmented responsibilities: the indecent labour footprint of US multinationals overseas," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 536-554, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ecsysr:v:33:y:2021:i:4:p:536-554
    DOI: 10.1080/09535314.2020.1827224
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    Cited by:

    1. Ángela García‐Alaminos & Fabio Monsalve & Jorge Zafrilla, 2024. "Disentangling social impacts in global value chains through structural path analysis: Investigating forced labor in the cotton industry," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 28(2), pages 303-319, April.

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