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International Labor Standards and International Trade
Author:
Mr. Stephen S. Golub null

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Series:
IMF Working Papers
Volume/Issue:
Volume 1997: Issue 037
Language:
English
Publication Date:
01 Apr 1997
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451845532.001
ISBN:
9781451845532
ISSN:
1018-5941
Pages:
37
Keywords:
WP; trade sanction; North-South trade; child labor; OECD list; trade pattern; labor standards; social clause; World Trade Organization; labor standard variable; country standard; import penetration; growth prospect; core labor standards; productivity level; a number of country; Wages; Labor costs; Labor markets; Minimum wages; East Asia; North America
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IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.
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This 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. A critical distinction is made between standards related to fundamental human rights and those related to employment conditions. The main conclusion is that trade sanctions to enforce labor standards should not be an option, but that international agreements on core labor standards, with voluntary compliance, may, apart from being worthwhile on ethical grounds, defuse calls for protection.
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Cover IMF Working Papers
IMF Working Papers
ISSN:
1018-5941
Publisher:
International Monetary Fund