## International Labor Standards and International Trade

_IMF Working Papers, April 1, 1997_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [International Labor Standards and International Trade](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2016/12/30/international-labor-standards-and-international-trade-2148)

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- [Markdown version](/en/publications/wp/issues/2016/12/30/international-labor-standards-and-international-trade-2148/index.md)
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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

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### 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.*

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## Content in this bundle

- **International Labor Standards and International Trade - WP/97/37**
  - [International Labor Standards and International Trade - WP/97/37 (Markdown version)](/-/media/websites/imf/imported-full-text-pdf/external/pubs/ft/wp/_wp9737.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [International Labor Standards and International Trade - WP/97/37 (PDF)](/-/media/websites/imf/imported-full-text-pdf/external/pubs/ft/wp/_wp9737.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2016/12/30/international-labor-standards-and-international-trade-2148_