[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/
IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp10025.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Laws, Costs, Norms, and Learning: Improving Working Conditions in Developing Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Brown, Drusilla

    (Tufts University)

  • Dehejia, Rajeev

    (New York University)

  • Robertson, Raymond

    (Texas A&M University)

Abstract
Working conditions in developing countries, such as those associated with the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, remain stubbornly low despite strict laws regulating hours, pay practices and occupational safety and health. Recent theoretic and empirical work suggests that norms and learning may play a significant role in determining conditions. We exploit the natural experiment of Cambodia's 15-year experience with the Better Factories Cambodia program to identify variation that reveals the relative contributions of laws, costs, norms, and learning in improving working conditions in Cambodia. The results suggest that policies that follow from the learning hypothesis may be the most effective at improving working conditions in the long run.

Suggested Citation

  • Brown, Drusilla & Dehejia, Rajeev & Robertson, Raymond, 2016. "Laws, Costs, Norms, and Learning: Improving Working Conditions in Developing Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 10025, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10025
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp10025.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Günseli Berik & Yana Van Der Meulen Rodgers, 2010. "Options for enforcing labour standards: Lessons from Bangladesh And Cambodia," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(1), pages 56-85.
    2. Benjamin Powell & David Skarbek, 2006. "Sweatshops and Third World Living Standards: Are the Jobs Worth the Sweat?," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 27(2), pages 263-274, April.
    3. Polaski, Sandra, 2006. "Combining global and local forces: The case of labor rights in Cambodia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 919-932, May.
    4. Kimberly Ann Elliott & Richard B. Freeman, 2003. "Can Labor Standards Improve under Globalization?," Peterson Institute Press: All Books, Peterson Institute for International Economics, number 338, April.
    5. Andrew B Bernard & J. Bradford Jensen, 2007. "Firm Structure, Multinationals, and Manufacturing Plant Deaths," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 89(2), pages 193-204, May.
    6. Roland Benabou & Jean Tirole, 2011. "Laws and Norms," NBER Working Papers 17579, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Oriana Bandiera & Iwan Barankay & Imran Rasul, 2007. "Incentives for Managers and Inequality among Workers: Evidence from a Firm-Level Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(2), pages 729-773.
    8. James Harrigan & Geoffrey Barrows, 2009. "Testing the Theory of Trade Policy: Evidence from the Abrupt End of the Multifiber Arrangement," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 91(2), pages 282-294, May.
    9. Shiferaw, Admasu, 2009. "Survival of Private Sector Manufacturing Establishments in Africa: The Role of Productivity and Ownership," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 572-584, March.
    10. Vivek Dehejia & Yiagadeesen Samy, 2004. "Trade and labour standards: theory and new empirical evidence," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2), pages 179-198.
    11. Behrman, Jere R & Deolalikar, Anil B, 1989. " . . Of the Fittest? Duration of Survival of Manufacturing Establishments in a Developing Country," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 215-226, December.
    12. Andrews, Donald W K & Ploberger, Werner, 1994. "Optimal Tests When a Nuisance Parameter Is Present Only under the Alternative," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 62(6), pages 1383-1414, November.
    13. Jen Baggs, 2005. "Firm survival and exit in response to trade liberalization," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 38(4), pages 1364-1383, November.
    14. Mullainatha, Sendhil & Hanna, Rema N. & Schwartzstein, Joshua, 2012. "Learning Through Noticing: Theory and Experimental Evidence in Farming," Scholarly Articles 9804491, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    15. Daron Acemoglu & Matthew O. Jackson, 2015. "History, Expectations, and Leadership in the Evolution of Social Norms," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 82(2), pages 423-456.
    16. Doms, Mark & Dunne, Timothy & Roberts, Mark J., 1995. "The role of technology use in the survival and growth of manufacturing plants," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 523-542, December.
    17. Lessig, Lawrence, 1998. "The New Chicago School," The Journal of Legal Studies, University of Chicago Press, vol. 27(2), pages 661-691, June.
    18. Bakhshi, Samira & Kerr, William A., 2010. "Labour Standards as a Justification for Trade Barriers: Consumer Concerns, Protectionism and the Evidence," Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy, Estey Centre for Law and Economics in International Trade, vol. 11(1), pages 1-29, May.
    19. Sumon Kumar Bhaumik & Ralitza Dimova, 2014. "Good and bad institutions: is the debate over? Cross-country firm-level evidence from the textile industry," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 38(1), pages 109-126.
    20. Norashidah Mohamed Nor & Nor Ghani Md. Nor & Ahmad Zainuddin Abdullah & Suhaila Abd. Jalil, 2007. "Flexibility and small firms' survival: further evidence from Malaysian manufacturing," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(12), pages 931-934.
    21. Richard Disney & Jonathan Haskel & Ylva Heden, 2003. "Entry, Exit and Establishment Survival in UK Manufacturing," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1), pages 91-112, March.
    22. Ichniowski, Casey & Shaw, Kathryn & Prennushi, Giovanna, 1997. "The Effects of Human Resource Management Practices on Productivity: A Study of Steel Finishing Lines," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(3), pages 291-313, June.
    23. Melanie Beresford, 2009. "The Cambodian clothing industry in the post-MFA environment: a review of developments," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(4), pages 366-388.
    24. Michaël Bonnal, 2010. "Export Performance, Labor Standards and Institutions: Evidence from a Dynamic Panel Data Model," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 53-66, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Raymond Robertson & Drusilla Brown & Rajeev Dehejia, 2021. "Working conditions and factory survival: Evidence from better factories Cambodia," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 228-254, February.
    2. Raymond Robertson, 2022. "Pioneering a new approach to improving working conditions in developing countries: Better Factories Cambodia," Chapters, in: Handbook on Globalisation and Labour Standards, chapter 20, pages 359-381, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Ana M. Fernandes & Caroline Paunov, 2015. "The Risks of Innovation: Are Innovating Firms Less Likely to Die?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 97(3), pages 638-653, July.
    4. Richard I.D. Harris & Qian Cher Li, "undated". "Export-market dynamics and the probability of firm closure: Evidence for the UK," Working Papers 2008_17, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    5. Raymond Robertson, 2020. "Lights On: How Transparency Increases Compliance in Cambodian Global Value Chains," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(4), pages 939-968, August.
    6. Robertson, Raymond, 2019. "Working Conditions, Transparency, and Compliance in Global Value Chains: Evidence from Better Work Jordan," IZA Discussion Papers 12794, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Hoang, Thi Minh Hang & Nguyen, Thi Lan & Nguyen, Hoang My Linh & Phung, Thi Yen & Tran, Thi Lien Huong, 2014. "Labour provisions in preferential trade agreements: potential opportunities or challenges to Vietnam?," Papers 917, World Trade Institute.
    8. Roger Bandick, 2010. "Multinationals and plant survival," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 146(4), pages 609-634, December.
    9. Drusilla K Brown & Alan V Deardorff & Robert M Stern, 2013. "Labor Standards and Human Rights: Implications for International Trade and Investment," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Zdenek Drabek & Petros Mavroidis (ed.), Regulation of Foreign Investment Challenges to International Harmonization, chapter 5, pages 153-195, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    10. Martyn Andrews & Lutz Bellmann & Thorsten Schank & Richard Upward, 2012. "Foreign-owned plants and job security," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 148(1), pages 89-117, April.
    11. Guimarães Barbosa, Evaldo, 2017. "Determinants of small business survival: The impacts of capital intensity and the collateral value of fixed assets," MPRA Paper 76434, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Chad Syverson, 2011. "What Determines Productivity?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 49(2), pages 326-365, June.
    13. Chikako Oka, 2014. "Evaluating a Promising Model of Non-State Labor Regulation: The Case of Cambodia's Apparel Sector," Post-Print hal-03181247, HAL.
    14. DiCaprio, Alisa, 2013. "The Demand Side of Social Protection: Lessons from Cambodia’s Labor Rights Experience," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 108-119.
    15. Robertson, Raymond, 2023. "Labor compliance programs in developing countries and trade flows: Evidence from Better Work," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    16. Ferragina, Anna & Pittiglio, Rosanna & Reganati, Filippo, 2012. "Multinational status and firm exit in the Italian manufacturing and service sectors," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 363-372.
    17. Álvarez, Roberto & Vergara, Sebastián, 2013. "Trade exposure, survival and growth of small and medium-size firms," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 185-201.
    18. Rolf Golombek & Arvid Raknerud, 2012. "Exit dynamics of start-up firms. Does profit matter?," Discussion Papers 706, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    19. Richard I. D. Harris & Qian Cher Li, 2010. "Export‐Market Dynamics And The Probability Of Firm Closure: Evidence For The United Kingdom," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 57(2), pages 145-168, May.
    20. Ana ANTOLIN & Laura BABBITT & Drusilla BROWN, 2021. "Why is the business case for social compliance in global value chains unpersuasive? Rethinking costs, prices and profits," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 160(4), pages 571-590, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    working conditions; norms; personnel economics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F53 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Agreements and Observance; International Organizations
    • F66 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Labor
    • J8 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10025. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.