The Role of Domestic Factors in the EU’s Governance of Labour Standards through Trade

doi:10.1017/9781009308137.007

6 - The Role of Domestic Factors in the EU’s Governance of Labour Standards through Trade

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 October 2023

Timea Pál and

Edited by

Laura Puccio and

Miriam Manchin: Affiliation:
Politecnico di Milano
Laura Puccio: Affiliation:
Université Libre de Bruxelles
Aydin B. Yildirim: Affiliation:
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich

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Summary

This chapter analyses the role of domestic factors in the ability of the EU to promote non-trade policy objectives through formal trade policies and market integration as two distinct governance approaches. Focusing on labour standards, the chapter examines how economic and political factors in developing economies influence the ability of key stakeholders – governments, businesses and labour organizations – to undermine or reinforce EU governance efforts. It uses a combination of regression and comparative case analysis to assess associations and understand processes on the ground. The quantitative analysis shows that improvements in labour standards are closely associated with (1) labour standards in key export markets, (2) the technological sophistication of exports, (3) state capacity and (4) the freedom of civil society organizations. Comparative analysis of how differences in state strategies and capacity, key export destinations and the strength of labour organizations across Moldova and Morocco set in place divergent pathways of improvements in labour standards allows us to shed more light on the potentials and limitations of EU governance efforts.

Keywords

labour standards governance European Union Morocco Moldova trade assistance

Type: Chapter
Information: Coherence of the European Union Trade Policy with Its Non-Trade Objectives
World Trade Forum
, pp. 148 - 179

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009308137.007 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2023

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6 - The Role of Domestic Factors in the EU’s Governance of Labour Standards through Trade

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