Redesigning enforcement in private labour regulation: Will it work?

• Published in: International labour review Vol. 155; no. 3; pp. 435 - 459
• Main Authors: MARX, Axel, WOUTERS, Jan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Geneva Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-09-2016; International Labour Organization, represented by the International Labour Office (ILO)
• Subjects: Audits; code of conduct; Compliance; Enforcement; Governance; Inappropriateness; Interest groups; international labour standards; Labor; Labor standards; Labor supply; private enterprise; Regulation; supervisory machinery; Supply; Value chain; value chains
• ISSN: 0020-7780; 1564-913X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1564-913X.2015.00040.x

Private labour regulation has emerged as an international governance tool for the enforcement of international labour standards. Yet, doubts have recently been expressed concerning the potential of such private systems for effectively improving labour conditions in supply chains. Their typical top‐down auditing approach to enforcing standards is considered inappropriate when it comes to international labour standards. This article assesses whether the design of these systems can be strengthened in order to ensure better compliance. In particular, the authors draw attention to mechanisms which empower stakeholders, such as complaint mechanisms, whose potential and constraints are discussed.