IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/ilrrev/v73y2020i4p969-994.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Political Economy of Private and Public Regulation in Post-Rana Plaza Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • Jennifer Bair
  • Mark Anner
  • Jeremy Blasi

Abstract

How do public and private labor governance regimes intersect in global supply chains and with what effects? Based on fieldwork in Bangladesh, including interviews with garment industry stakeholders, this article examines the main public and private regulatory reforms instituted in post-Rana Plaza Bangladesh: the Sustainability Compact and the Bangladesh Accord, respectively. Despite the Accord’s substantial achievements in improving workplace safety, particularly relative to the progress achieved under the Compact, findings show that government and industry actors in Bangladesh have resisted the Accord’s efforts to empower workers for fear that improved labor standards would threaten managerial control over one of the global garment industry’s largest and cheapest labor forces. Rather than being an example of complementarity between private and public governance, or an effective substitution of one by the other, post-Rana Plaza Bangladesh represents an undermining of effective private regulation by a state opposed to pro-labor reforms.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Bair & Mark Anner & Jeremy Blasi, 2020. "The Political Economy of Private and Public Regulation in Post-Rana Plaza Bangladesh," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(4), pages 969-994, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:73:y:2020:i:4:p:969-994
    DOI: 10.1177/0019793920925424
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0019793920925424
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0019793920925424?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:bla:glopol:v:8:y:2017:i:s3:p:5-14 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. George J. Stigler, 1971. "The Theory of Economic Regulation," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 2(1), pages 3-21, Spring.
    3. repec:ilo:ilowps:488877 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Naila Kabeer, 2004. "Globalization, Labor Standards, And Women'S Rights: Dilemmas Of Collective (In)Action In An Interdependent World," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 3-35.
    5. Michael J. PIORE & Andrew SCHRANK, 2008. "Toward managed flexibility: The revival of labour inspection in the Latin world," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 147(1), pages 1-23, March.
    6. Mayer, Frederick & Gereffi, Gary, 2010. "Regulation and Economic Globalization: Prospects and Limits of Private Governance," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(3), pages 1-25, October.
    7. O'Rourke, Dara, 2006. "Multi-stakeholder regulation: privatizing or socializing global labor standards?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 899-918, May.
    8. Jeffrey S. Vogt, 2017. "The Bangladesh Sustainability Compact: An Effective Tool for Promoting Workers’ Rights?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(4), pages 80-92.
    9. Khan, Mohd Raisul Islam. & Wichterich, Christa,, 2015. "Safety and labour conditions : the accord and the national tripartite plan of action for the garment industry of Bangladesh," ILO Working Papers 994888773402676, International Labour Organization.
    10. Graham, David & Woods, Ngaire, 2006. "Making corporate self-regulation effective in developing countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 868-883, May.
    11. Amengual, Matthew, 2010. "Complementary Labor Regulation: The Uncoordinated Combination of State and Private Regulators in the Dominican Republic," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 405-414, March.
    12. Mayer Frederick & Gereffi Gary, 2010. "Regulation and Economic Globalization: Prospects and Limits of Private Governance," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 12(3), pages 1-27, October.
    13. Elke Schuessler & Stephen J. Frenkel & Chris F. Wright, 2019. "Governance of Labor Standards in Australian and German Garment Supply Chains: The Impact of Rana Plaza," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(3), pages 552-579, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. John S. Ahlquist & Layna Mosley, 2021. "Firm participation in voluntary regulatory initiatives: The Accord, Alliance, and US garment importers from Bangladesh," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 317-343, April.
    2. Khalid Nadvi & Gale Raj‐Reichert, 2015. "Governing health and safety at lower tiers of the computer industry global value chain," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(3), pages 243-258, September.
    3. Rachel Alexander, 2020. "Emerging Roles of Lead Buyer Governance for Sustainability Across Global Production Networks," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 269-290, March.
    4. Benjamin Cashore & Jette Steen Knudsen & Jeremy Moon & Hamish van der Ven, 2021. "Private authority and public policy interactions in global context: Governance spheres for problem solving," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(4), pages 1166-1182, October.
    5. Stephen J. FRENKEL & Elke S. SCHUESSLER, 2021. "From Rana Plaza to COVID‐19: Deficiencies and opportunities for a new labour governance system in garment global supply chains," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 160(4), pages 591-609, December.
    6. Nick Lin-Hi & Igor Blumberg, 2017. "The Power(lessness) of Industry Self-regulation to Promote Responsible Labor Standards: Insights from the Chinese Toy Industry," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(4), pages 789-805, July.
    7. Jodi L. Short & Michael W. Toffel & Andrea R. Hugill, 2016. "Monitoring global supply chains," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(9), pages 1878-1897, September.
    8. Knorringa, P., 2007. "Asian drivers and the future of responsible production and consumption," ISS Working Papers - General Series 18752, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague.
    9. Judith Christina Stroehle, 2017. "The enforcement of diverse labour standards through private governance," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 23(4), pages 475-493, November.
    10. Lilac Nachum, 2021. "Value distribution and markets for social justice in global value chains: Interdependence relationships and government policy," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(4), pages 541-563, December.
    11. Mevan Jayasinghe & Larry W. (Chip) Hunter, 2020. "The Impact of Suppliers’ Adoption of Voluntary Labour Codes/Certifications on Job Quality in Global Supply Chains: The Sri Lankan Case of Garments without Guilt," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 58(4), pages 844-873, December.
    12. Alexander, Rachel, 2020. "Emerging roles of lead buyer governance for sustainability across global production networks," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 100908, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Ronconi, Lucas & Zarazaga S.J., Rodrigo, 2015. "Labor Exclusion and the Erosion of Citizenship Responsibilities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 453-461.
    14. Francesca Colli & Johan Adriaensen, 2020. "Lobbying the state or the market? A framework to study civil society organizations’ strategic behavior," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 14(3), pages 501-513, July.
    15. Helmerich, Nicole & Raj-Reichert, Gale & Zajak, Sabrina, 2021. "Exercising associational and networked power through the use of digital technology by workers in global value chains," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 25(2), pages 142-166.
    16. Muradian, Roldan & Cahyafitri, Raras & Ferrando, Tomaso & Grottera, Carolina & Jardim-Wanderley, Luiz & Krause, Torsten & Kurniawan, Nanang I. & Loft, Lasse & Nurshafira, Tadzkia & Prabawati-Suwito, D, 2025. "Will the EU deforestation-free products regulation (EUDR) reduce tropical forest loss? Insights from three producer countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    17. Tina D. Beuchelt & Rafaël Schneider & Liliana Gamba, 2022. "Integrating the right to food in sustainability standards: A theory of change to move global supply chains from responsibilities to impacts," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(4), pages 1864-1889, December.
    18. Amengual, Matthew, 2010. "Complementary Labor Regulation: The Uncoordinated Combination of State and Private Regulators in the Dominican Republic," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 405-414, March.
    19. Janina Grabs & Graeme Auld & Benjamin Cashore, 2021. "Private regulation, public policy, and the perils of adverse ontological selection," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(4), pages 1183-1208, October.
    20. Ravi KANBUR & Lucas RONCONI, 2018. "Enforcement matters: The effective regulation of labour," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 157(3), pages 331-356, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:73:y:2020:i:4:p:969-994. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.