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The enforcement of diverse labour standards through private governance

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  • Judith Christina Stroehle

    (Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy)

Abstract

The effectiveness of private governance on global labour standards remains extremely difficult to assess, let alone measure. Debates surrounding relevant factors focus on two areas: contextual variables regarding social and economic upgrading, and firm-specific characteristics. This article contributes to both debates, looking at characteristics of buyer companies, while also taking institutional variables into account. It examines structural and environmental features of cases encoded in a data set derived from over 1000 audit reports compiled by the Fair Labor Association. Focusing on the apparel, sports- and footwear industry, the article highlights the importance of regulatory quality, economic performance and social freedom in sourcing countries for the success of private governance. The analysis statistically underlines the importance of public governance specifically for process rights, such as anti-discrimination and freedom of association. Complementarity between private and public governance programmes may therefore be particularly important for these standards.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:treure:v:23:y:2017:i:4:p:475-493
    DOI: 10.1177/1024258917731016
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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