IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wti/papers/963.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

An International Regulatory Framework for National Employment Policies

Author

Listed:
  • Häberli, Christian

Abstract

Reprinted from Journal of World Trade, volume no. 50, issue number no. 2 (2016), pages 167–192, with permission of Kluwer Law International: Employment-related policies are sensitive by any standard, and they remain basically national despite international labour standards (ILS) being even older than the United Nations. Globalization is changing this situation where countries may have to choose between ‘more’ or ‘better’ jobs. The multilateral framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) can only have an indirect impact. But Regional Trade Agreements (RTA) and International Investment Agreements (IIA) are emerging as a new way of gradually enhancing the impact of certain labour standards. In addition, unilateral measures both by governments and importers driven by social and environmental consumer preferences and pressure groups increasingly shape the international regulatory framework for national employment policies. Even small, locally operating enterprises risk marginalization and market exclusion by ignoring these developments. The long-term influence of this new ‘network approach’ on employment-related policies, including job location, gender issues, social coherence and migration remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the still flimsy evidence gathered here seems to indicate that this new, international framework might increase sustainable employment where and when supporting measures, including through unilateral preferences and even sanctions, form a ‘cocktail’ which export-oriented industries and their suppliers will find palatable.

Suggested Citation

  • Häberli, Christian, 2016. "An International Regulatory Framework for National Employment Policies," Papers 963, World Trade Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:wti:papers:963
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.wti.org/media/filer_public/bc/2d/bc2de7b5-f37f-4634-a9fa-538e82342f1e/haberli_-_an_international_regulatory_framework_for_national_employment_policies.pdf
    File Function: First version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Haberli, Christian. & Jansen, Marion. & Monteiro, José-Antonio., 2012. "Regional trade agreements and domestic labour market regulation," ILO Working Papers 994700163402676, International Labour Organization.
    2. Mr. Yifei Huang & Mr. Prakash Loungani & Gewei Wang, 2014. "Minimum Wages and Firm Employment: Evidence from China," IMF Working Papers 2014/184, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Susan Godlonton, 2020. "Employment Risk and Job-Seeker Performance," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 55(1), pages 194-239.
    4. Drusilla K. Brown, 2000. "International Trade and Core Labor Standards: A Survey of the Recent Literature," Discussion Papers Series, Department of Economics, Tufts University 0005, Department of Economics, Tufts University.
    5. Kimberly Ann Elliott & Richard B. Freeman, 2003. "Can Labor Standards Improve under Globalization?," Peterson Institute Press: All Books, Peterson Institute for International Economics, number 338, January.
    6. Gordon Betcherman, 2015. "Labor Market Regulations: What do we know about their Impacts in Developing Countries?," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 30(1), pages 124-153.
    7. Maoyong Fan & Mimi Houston & Anita Alves Pena, 2014. "Determinants of child labor in the modern United States: Evidence from agricultural workers and their children and concerns for ongoing public policy," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 34(1), pages 287-306.
    8. repec:ilo:ilowps:470016 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Lavopa, Alejandro & Szirmai, Adam, 2012. "Industrialization, employment and poverty," MERIT Working Papers 2012-081, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    10. Robert Dixon & G. C. Lim & Jan C. van Ours, 2015. "The effect of shocks to labour market flows on unemployment and participation rates," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(24), pages 2523-2539, May.
    11. Olney, William W., 2013. "A race to the bottom? Employment protection and foreign direct investment," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(2), pages 191-203.
    12. Maskus, Keith E. & Otsuki, Tsunehiro & Wilson, John S., 2005. "The cost of compliance with product standards for firms in developing countries: an econometric study," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3590, The World Bank.
    13. Lorand Bartels & Christian Häberli, 2010. "Binding Tariff Preferences for Developing Countries Under Article II Gatt," Journal of International Economic Law, Oxford University Press, vol. 13(4), pages 969-995, December.
    14. David Kucera & Ritash Sarna, 2006. "Trade Union Rights, Democracy, and Exports: a Gravity Model Approach," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(5), pages 859-882, November.
    15. Maskus, Keith E., 1997. "Should core labor standards be imposed through international trade policy?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1817, The World Bank.
    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. Drusilla K Brown & Alan V Deardorff & Robert M Stern, 2013. "Labor Standards and Human Rights: Implications for International Trade and Investment," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Zdenek Drabek & Petros Mavroidis (ed.), Regulation of Foreign Investment Challenges to International Harmonization, chapter 5, pages 153-195, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    2. repec:ilo:ilowps:470016 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Isao Kamatai, 2014. "Regional Trade Agreements with Labor Clauses: Effects on Labor Standards and Trade," Discussion papers e-13-007, Graduate School of Economics Project Center, Kyoto University.
    4. KAMATA Isao, 2014. "Regional Trade Agreements with Labor Clauses: Effects on labor standards and trade," Discussion papers 14012, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    5. Haberli, Christian. & Jansen, Marion. & Monteiro, José-Antonio., 2012. "Regional trade agreements and domestic labour market regulation," ILO Working Papers 994700163402676, International Labour Organization.
    6. Potrafke, Niklas, 2013. "Globalization and labor market institutions: International empirical evidence," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 829-842.
    7. Oslington, Paul, 2005. "Trade and the distributional politics of international labour standards," MPRA Paper 963, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Hoang, Thi Minh Hang & Nguyen, Thi Lan & Nguyen, Hoang My Linh & Phung, Thi Yen & Tran, Thi Lien Huong, 2014. "Labour provisions in preferential trade agreements: potential opportunities or challenges to Vietnam?," Papers 917, World Trade Institute.
    9. Zhiqi Chen & Afshan Dar‐Brodeur, 2020. "Trade and labour standards: Will there be a race to the bottom?," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(3), pages 916-948, August.
    10. Davies, Ronald B., 2005. "Abstinence from child labor and profit seeking," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 251-263, February.
    11. Reeg, Caroline, 2015. "Micro and small enterprises as drivers for job creation and decent work," IDOS Discussion Papers 10/2015, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    12. Raymond Robertson, 2022. "Pioneering a new approach to improving working conditions in developing countries: Better Factories Cambodia," Chapters, in: Handbook on Globalisation and Labour Standards, chapter 20, pages 359-381, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Razmi, Arslan, 2011. "Must improved labor standards hurt accumulation in the targeted sector? Stylized analysis of a developing economy," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 299-312.
    14. repec:ilo:ilowps:358789 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Thierry Baudassé & Rémi Bazillier, 2010. "Migration and Trade Union Rights," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES), Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (SSES), vol. 146(IV), pages 677-707, December.
    16. Alejandro Donado, 2021. "Why do they JUST DO IT? A Theory of Outsourcing and Working Conditions," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 559-586, July.
    17. Joshua Hall & Peter Leeson, 2007. "Good for the Goose, Bad for the Gander: International Labor Standards and Comparative Development," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 658-676, September.
    18. Donado, Alejandro & Wälde, Klaus, 2010. "How bad is globalization for labour standards in the north?," W.E.P. - Würzburg Economic Papers 84, University of Würzburg, Department of Economics.
    19. Messerschmidt, Luca & Janz, Nicole, 2023. "Unravelling the ‘race to the bottom’ argument: Foreign direct investment and different types of labour rights," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    20. Luca Messerschmidt & Nicole Janz, 2020. "Unravelling the 'race to the bottom' argument: How does FDI affect different types of labour rights?," Munich Papers in Political Economy 05, Munich School of Politics and Public Policy and the School of Management at the Technical University of Munich.
    21. Remi Bazillier & Nicolas Sirven, 2008. "Is There a Social Kuznets Curve? The Influence of Labour Standards on Inequality," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(7), pages 913-934.
    22. Neumayer, Eric & Soysa, Indra de, 2006. "Globalization and the Right to Free Association and Collective Bargaining: An Empirical Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 31-49, January.

    More about this item

    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:wti:papers:963. 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: Morven McLean (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/wtibech.html .

    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.