Incentivising Pro-Labour Reforms

Alice Evans
Additional contact information
Alice Evans: Center for International Development at Harvard University

No 349, CID Working Papers from Center for International Development at Harvard University

Abstract: This paper shows that countries may reduce labour repression if they perceive this as conducive to export growth. This paper traces what happened before, in the presence of, and then following the withdrawal of international economic incentives for pro-labour reforms in Vietnam and Bangladesh. The Government of Vietnam announced it would allow independent trade unions, in order to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and increase market access. Similarly, the Government of Bangladesh rescinded restrictions on unions, following global condemnation of Rana Plaza and fear of buyers leaving en masse. Both governments reduced labour repression to promote export growth. With high-level authorisation, Vietnamese and Bangladeshi activists and reformists became less fearful, and mobilised for substantive change. However, these economic incentives were short-lived: after Trump’s election, the USA withdrew from TPP; buyers continued to source from Bangladesh, and squeezed prices (without requiring labour reforms). Both governments then amped up labour repression - notwithstanding private regulation, economic upgrading, industry growth, and mass strikes.

Keywords: Labor; Markets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-sea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/files/bsc/files/2019-0 ... ng-labor-reforms.pdf (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 404 Not Found (https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/files/bsc/files/2019-03-cid-wp-349-incentivising-labor-reforms.pdf [301 Moved Permanently]--> https://bsc.hks.harvard.edu/files/bsc/files/2019-03-cid-wp-349-incentivising-labor-reforms.pdf [302 Found]--> https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/websites.harvard.edu/dist/c/104/files/2019-03-cid-wp-349-incentivising-labor-reforms.pdf [301 Moved Permanently]--> https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/404.html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cid:wpfacu:349

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in CID Working Papers from Center for International Development at Harvard University 79 John F. Kennedy Street. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chuck McKenney ().