Corporate Responsibility and Labour Rights: Codes of Conduct in the Global Economy

by Ruth Pearson, Gill Seyfang, Rhys Jenkins

Overview

The emergence of voluntary corporate codes of conduct since the early 1990s is both a manifestation of and a response to the process of globalization. They have been part of a more general shift away from state regulation of transnational corporations towards corporate self-regulation in the areas of labour and environmental standards and human rights. This work provides a critical perspective on the growth and significance of corporate codes with a particular focus on working conditions and labour rights. It brings together work by academics, practitioners and activists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781136568893
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/17/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Rhys Jenkins is professor of development studies at the University of East Anglia. Ruth Pearson is professor of development studies and director of the Centre for Development Studies at the University of Leeds. Gill Seyfang is senior research associate at the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE) at the University of East Anglia.

Table of Contents

Preface, Richard Howitt MEP * Introduction * Part One: Codes of Conduct and Global Deregulation The Political Economy of Codes of Conduct * Labour Rights/Corporate Responsibilities: The Role of ILO Labour Standards * 'I'll Tell You What I want ': Women Workers and Codes of Conduct * Mapping Codes Through the Value Chain: From Researcher to Detective * Part Two: Codes of Conduct Perspectives from Stakeholders on the Global Production Chains. Stakeholders Perspectives: Beyond Codes: Lessons from the Pentland Experience * The International Trade Union Movement and the New Codes of Conduct * The Emperor's New Clothes: What Codes Mean for Workers in the Garment Industry * Can Codes of Conduct Help Home-based Workers * Regional Perspectives: 'Made in China': Rules and Regulations Versus Codes of Conduct in the Toy Sector * The Contradiction in Codes: The Sri Lankan Experience * The Potential of codes as Part of Women's Organizations' Strategies for Promoting the Rights of Women Workers: a Central American Perspective. * The Fox Guarding the Chicken Coop: Garment Industry Monitoring in Los Angeles * Practical Issues in Developing and Implementing Codes: Working with Codes: Perspectives from the Clean Clothes Campaign * ETI: a Multi-stakeholder Approach * Monitoring the Monitors: a Critique of the Third-party Labour Monitoring * Code Monitoring in the Informal Fair Trade Sector: The Experience of Oxfam GB * Appendix 1: Useful Web Sites * Index

Editorial Reviews

'A valuable contribution to the debate regarding the relevance, complexities and role of corporate codes of conduct.' Gender, Place and Culture - A Journal of Feminist Geography 'This book brings together the work of more than 20 academic, practitioners and activists to provide a broad-based, multi-disciplinary and critical assessment of the growth, content and significance of corporate social responsibility for working conditions and labour rights.' African Business 'It applies an analytical approach to the theory, development and impliactions of corporate codes of conduct within global value chains.' Journal of Consumer Policy 'Each of the papers is clearly written, well organised and readable.' Development and Change 'A broad-based multi-disciplinary assessment of the growth, content and significance of corporate codes of conduct.' Business Horizons

From the Publisher