Documents Peels, Rafael 3 results

"Businesses increasingly engage in the promotion of labour standards through initiatives of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR was traditionally regarded as voluntary and private, however it has become increasingly “legalized” where CSR is shaped by governmental policies and integrates nonvoluntary elements. Even though the effectiveness of such CSR initiatives is not undisputed, it is increasingly regarded as an important element of global labour governance. This paper assesses the reference to CSR commitments in trade and investment agreements and finds that CSR language is relatively weak in terms of obligation, precision and delegation. We then discuss and emphasise the potential to use the mechanisms that are provided in these agreements to activate and follow-up CSR commitments, and what the implications could be for states, business and workers. The paper concludes by addressing the potential role of the ILO in the interplay between soft and hard labour regulations, and its experience in the follow up of CSR."

".This article puts forward an analytical and methodological framework for examining the effectiveness of labour provisions in trade agreements, illustrated by indicative case studies. Developing the notion of capacity at three levels (state, civil society and firms), the authors differentiate between proximate outcomes (legal, institutional and political) and distant, socio‐economic outcomes (improving labour rights and working conditions). They thus consider labour provisions in trade agreements as a multifaceted “policy mix” to be evaluated through qualitative and/or quantitative methods, depending on the aspect of capacity that is of interest, and on the available data. Some policy recommendations are also provided"