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Competing conceptualizations of decent work at the intersection of health, social and economic discourses

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  • Di Ruggiero, Erica
  • Cohen, Joanna E.
  • Cole, Donald C.
  • Forman, Lisa

Abstract

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), decent work is critical to economic and social progress and well-being. The ILO's Decent Work Agenda outlines four directions (creating jobs, guaranteeing rights at work, extending social protection, promoting social dialogue) (ILO, 2015). While the Agenda's existence may imply consensus about its meaning, we contend that several conceptualizations of decent work exist in the global policy arena. Different institutional perspectives must be negotiated, and political, economic, social and health considerations balanced in its pursuit. This paper reports findings from a critical discourse analysis of 10 policy texts that aimed to reveal different health, economic, and social claims about decent work and how these are shaped by the work policy agendas of the ILO, World Health Organization, and World Bank. Themes emerging from the discourse analysis include the: challenges and realities of promoting “one” agenda; complex intersection between decent work, health and health equity concepts; emphasis on economic and pro-market interests versus the social dimensions of work; and, relative emphasis on individual versus collective responsibility for decent work. To our knowledge, this is a first attempt to contrast different conceptualizations of decent work involving these institutions. Our findings suggest that decent work is a contested notion, and that more than one “agenda” is operating in the face of vested institutional interests. Broader discourses are contributing to a reframing of decent work in economic, social and/or health terms and these are impacting which dimensions of work are taken up in policy texts over others. Results show how the language of economics acts as a disciplinary and regulatory power and its role as a normalizing discourse. We call for research that deepens understanding of how a social, economic and health phenomenon like work is discursively re-interpreted through different global institutional interests.

Suggested Citation

  • Di Ruggiero, Erica & Cohen, Joanna E. & Cole, Donald C. & Forman, Lisa, 2015. "Competing conceptualizations of decent work at the intersection of health, social and economic discourses," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 120-127.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:133:y:2015:i:c:p:120-127
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.03.026
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Samson Adeoluwa Adewumi & Elsabe Keyser, 2020. "Towards Addressing Employment Casualization: Unearthing Factors Limiting Labor Union Struggle in the Food Processing Industry, Lagos," Eurasian Journal of Business and Management, Eurasian Publications, vol. 8(2), pages 124-136.
    2. Yan Yan & Juan Gao & Xinying Jiang & Yuqing Geng & Enzhong Lin, 2024. "A Study on a New 5S Model of Decent Work Perception," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-24, January.
    3. Olabiyi, Joshua Olaniyi, 2022. "Decent Employment and Poverty Alleviation for Socio-Economic Development and Its Implications for the Well-Being of the Citizenry in South Africa," APSTRACT: Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce, AGRIMBA, vol. 16(2), December.
    4. Marianna Giunchi & Anne-Marie Vonthron & Chiara Ghislieri, 2019. "Perceived Job Insecurity and Sustainable Wellbeing: Do Coping Strategies Help?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, February.
    5. Elena Jianu & Ramona Pîrvu & Gheorghe Axinte & Ovidiu Toma & Andrei Valentin Cojocaru & Flavia Murtaza, 2021. "EU Labor Market Inequalities and Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-17, March.
    6. Paul A. Schulte & Ivo Iavicoli & Luca Fontana & Stavroula Leka & Maureen F. Dollard & Acran Salmen-Navarro & Fernanda J. Salles & Kelly P. K. Olympio & Roberto Lucchini & Marilyn Fingerhut & Francesco, 2022. "Occupational Safety and Health Staging Framework for Decent Work," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-28, August.

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