International Labor Standards and International Trade

IMF Working Papers, April 1, 1997

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International Labor Standards and International Trade

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Bibliographic details

• Authors: Stephen S. Golub
• Published: April 1, 1997
• Series: IMF Working Papers
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451845532.001

Overview and scope

• Paper reviews controversies regarding linkage of international trade and labor standards.
• Pressures for international harmonization of labor standards arise in the context of increased trade between countries with large disparities in wages, and also reflect the history of labor standards.
• Critical distinction made between standards related to fundamental human rights and those related to employment conditions.

Main findings

• Trade sanctions to enforce labor standards should not be an option.
• International agreements on core labor standards, with voluntary compliance, may, apart from being worthwhile on ethical grounds, defuse calls for protection.
• The paper emphasizes differentiation between:
  • standards related to fundamental human rights, and
  • standards related to employment conditions.

Policy implications and recommendations

• Do not use trade sanctions as an enforcement mechanism for labor standards.
• Pursue international agreements on core labor standards that rely on voluntary compliance.
• Voluntary international agreements can serve both ethical objectives and political economy goals by defusing protectionist pressures.

Metadata and classification (as provided)

• Author: Stephen S. Golub
• Date: April 1, 1997
• Series: Working Paper No. 1997/037
• Issue: 037
• Volume: 1997
• Pages: 37
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451845532.001
• Stock No: WPIEA0371997
• ISBN: 9781451845532
• ISSN: 1018-5941
• Subject: Labor, Labor costs, Labor markets, Minimum wages, Wages
• Keywords: a number of country, child labor, core labor standards, country standard, East Asia, growth prospect, import penetration, Labor costs, Labor markets, labor standard variable, labor standards, Minimum wages, North America, North-South trade, OECD list, productivity level, social clause, trade pattern, trade sanction, Wages, World Trade Organization, WP

IMF Working Paper — Stephen S. Golub, "International Labor Standards and International Trade", Working Paper No. 1997/037.

Content in this bundle

• International Labor Standards and International Trade - WP/97/37
  • International Labor Standards and International Trade - WP/97/37 (Markdown version)
  • International Labor Standards and International Trade - WP/97/37 (PDF)