Work and Workers in International Markets

Four “problems” drive the International Political Economy (IPE) literature on work and workers in a globalized world: the economic determinants of workers’ political orientations; the role and future of labor unions; the regulation and governance of international supply chains; and migration. There remain walled gardens in the IPE literature on labor that inhibit productive exchange but the literature on supply chain governance and labor standards stands out for its policy relevance and active collaboration among scholars from different IPE traditions. The chapter concludes with reflections on how the implicit definition of “problems,” as opposed to explicit normative claims might not be “first best.”