The Promise and Limits of Private Power: Promoting Labor Standards in a Global Economy

Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics

by Richard M. Locke

This book examines and evaluates various private initiatives to enforce fair labor standards within global supply chains. Using unique data (internal audit reports, and access to more than 120 supply chain factories and 700 interviews in 14 countries) from several major global brands, including NIKE, HP, and the International Labor Organization's Factory Improvement Programme in Vietnam, this book examines both the promise and the limitations of different approaches to actually improve working conditions, wages, and working hours for the millions of workers employed in today's global supply chains. Through a careful, empirically grounded analysis of these programs, this book illustrates the mix of private and public regulation needed to address these complex issues in a global economy.

Genres: Politics, Economics

228 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Tommy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Locke does an excellent, nuanced job of demonstrating how private compliance programs have worked and how they have fallen short when it comes to improving labor conditions. He does a great job weaving in anecdotes while staying true to the rigorous research nature of the book.

His demonstration of which aspects (like health and safety) have been moderately successfully improved with private compliance programs and which aspects (freedom to affiliate, wages, working hours) have been less successfully addressed and require joint efforts either in parallel or in collaboration with local and national government or NGOs.

Locke does an excellent job of being optimistic yet incredibly pragmatic and results oriented. This is very refreshing compared to the defeatist and idealist veins that can dominate difficult topics such as international labor standards.

I'm not sure if this book will actually move the needle but anyone involved with or concerned with these issues should read this book. It is not a Taylorist "one best way" cookbook approach but it does define a framework under which programs can succeed and have succeeded in countries across the world to deliver tangible results to some of the most vulnerable workers.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look, mostly through case studies, of how labor standards emerge and interact with culture and law, as globalization moves more and more production to countries with less responsive governments.