The reconstruction of the international order after World War I put great emphasis on social reforms through the International Labor Organization (ILO). Three types of arguments were used to promote social reform. The first asserted that international economic competition meant that social reform had to be coordinated internationally in order to maintain the relative competitiveness of countries. The second proposed that social reform was necessary to preserve the stability of states, and hence the stability of the international system. The third appealed for international action on the basis of common notions of human dignity. The idea that common concern about human dignity demanded international action became an assertion of human rights. While this understanding of human rights has helped to inform the pursuit of social justice, the history of the founding and program of the ILO in the interwar period shows that other arguments for social reform have also been historically influential.
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Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Law and Economics with number
0402004.
Length: Date of creation: 23 Feb 2004 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwple:0402004
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Find related papers by JEL classification: F02 - International Economics - - General - - - International Economic Order; Noneconomic International Organizations;; Economic Integration and Globalization: General I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy K33 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - International Law O19 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations
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