Private Regulation of Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains: Problems, Progress, and Prospects

by Sarosh Kuruvilla

Overview

Private Regulation of Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains examines the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility on improving labor standards in global supply chains.

Sarosh Kuruvilla charts the development and effectiveness of corporate codes of conduct to ameliorate "sweatshop" conditions in global supply chains. This form of private voluntary regulation, spearheaded by Nike and Reebok, became necessary given the inability of third world countries to enforce their own laws and the absence of a global regulatory system for labor standards. Although private regulation programs have been adopted by other companies in many different industries, we know relatively little regarding the effectiveness of these programs because companies don't disclose information about their efforts and outcomes in regulating labor conditions in their supply chains.

Private Regulation of Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains presents data from companies, multi-stakeholder institutions, and auditing firms in a comprehensive, investigative dive into the world of private voluntary regulation of labor conditions. The picture he paints is wholistic and raw, but it considers several ways in which this private voluntary system can be improved to improve the lives of workers in global supply chains.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501754524
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	04/15/2021
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sarosh Kuruvilla is the Andrew J. Nathanson Family Professor of Industrial Relations, Asian Studies, and Public Affairs at Cornell University. He is co-editor of From Iron Rice Bowl to Informalization.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Private Regulation of Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains since the 1990s
OVERVIEW: PROBLEMS
1. Behavioral Invisibility: The Reliability of Supplier Data and the Unique Role of Audit Consultants
2. Practice Multiplicity in the Implementation of Private Regulation Programs
3. Causal Complexity: The Varied Determinants of Compliance and Workplace-Level Improvements
OVERVIEW: PROGRESS
4. Has Private Regulation Improved Labor Practicesin Global Supply Chains? An Empirical Examination
5. Wages in Global Supply Chains: Where They Stand and Where We Need to Go
6. Freedom of Association and Collective Bargainingin Global Supply Chains
OVERVIEW: PROSPECTS
7. Are Changes in Corporate Governance an Answer?
8. Aligning Sourcing and Compliance Insidea Global Corporation
9. From Opacity to Transparency: Pathways to Improvement of Private Regulation
10. Conclusion

What People are Saying About This

Sarah Ashwin

Drawing on a rich array of novel data, Sarosh Kuruvilla presents a comprehensive analysis of the limitations of private labour governance in garment supply chains. This excellent book will be invaluable for scholars, students and practitioners of Corporate Social Responsibility and industrial relations in global supply chains.

Editorial Reviews

Sarosh Kuruvilla provides one of the most comprehensive interrogations yet of private regulation across multiple countries, industries, and regulatory methods in Private Regulation of Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains. This book is excellent in that it not only provides a well-explained background of the problem of private regulation in global supply chains but also builds upon previous research to add texture to arguments.

-- "ILR Review"

The work of Kuruvilla with his fellow researchers, Private Regulation of Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains, is both an excellent introduction and a serious study of the issue. Kuruvilla presents the results of analyses and his arguments in an easy-to-read manner while employing sound, uncompromising methodology. His vast knowledge of the relevant literature has made his arguments even more convincing.I believe this excellent study by Kuruvilla should be read widely.

-- "The Developping Economics"

From the Publisher

Sarosh Kuruvilla provides one of the most comprehensive interrogations yet of private regulation across multiple countries, industries, and regulatory methods in Private Regulation of Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains. This book is excellent in that it not only provides a well-explained background of the problem of private regulation in global supply chains but also builds upon previous research to add texture to arguments.

ILR Review

The work of Kuruvilla with his fellow researchers, Private Regulation of Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains, is both an excellent introduction and a serious study of the issue. Kuruvilla presents the results of analyses and his arguments in an easy-to-read manner while employing sound, uncompromising methodology. His vast knowledge of the relevant literature has made his arguments even more convincing.I believe this excellent study by Kuruvilla should be read widely.

The Developping Economics