Buyer engagement and labour conditions in global supply chains: the Bangladesh Accord and beyond

Chikako Oka, Niklas Egels-Zandén and Rachel Alexander

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (‘the Accord’) has received both praise and criticism concerning its implications for corporate responsibility and power. This article contributes to the debate by situating the Accord within a broader set of activities that buyers are engaged in to promote better labour conditions in their supply chains. The authors identify three approaches of buyer engagement: auditing, capacity building and advocacy. Drawing on interviews conducted with European brands and retailers, the article shows how buyers perceive the merits and challenges of these approaches, and whether and how they discharge responsibility and power through these activities. The study shows that the Accord is seen primarily as part of the auditing approach with a key feature being its use of collective leverage as a means of enforcement. While greater buyer power has not necessarily been accompanied by greater responsibility, the article highlights heterogeneity among buyers in how they take up different approaches, painting a more nuanced picture of buyer responsibility and power.

JEL-codes: J01 R14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 25 pages
Date: 2020-09-01
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published in Development and Change, 1, September, 2020, 51(5), pp. 1306 - 1330. ISSN: 0012-155X

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:106695

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