The ILO as an Actor in International Economic Law: Looking Back, Gazing Ahead (original) (raw)
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Anuario de Acción Humanitaria y Derechos Humanos, 2013
This article focuses on the analysis of the role of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the current global governance, analysing its interaction with the main actors of governance and the involvement of the ILO itself as a current actor in global governance. It has taken into account for this writing both the historic role played by the ILO in the international institutional architecture since its creation in 1919 (today as a part of United Nations System), and the relevance it may have now seeking social justice in a global economy still governed by neoliberal principles. The question is whether social justice can be accommodated between these principles and if the main actors of global governance are really willing to strengthen the social dimension of globalization in times of crisis. The formal inclusion of some of the proposals of the ILO among those that seek to define the terms of post-crisis global governance (for example, the decent work strategy) cannot be overly optimistic even be considered a positive step.
Decent Work'The Shifting Role of the ILO and the Struggle for Global Social Justice
Global Social Policy, 2002
With the proliferation of supranational trade agreements and the deregulation of national labour markets, calls for representative international organizations and international mechanisms aimed at improving the conditions of workers are growing. One outcome of these developments is that international organizations, like the International Labour Organization (ILO), are rethinking their roles under globalization. This article examines the ILO's new platform of
This paper discusses how the ILO reacted to the challenges to its raison d’être posed by the end of the Cold War and the new globalization era. It shows that its continued relevance was attained in three main stages: the adoption of the 1998 Declaration, the development of the “decent work” concept and the adoption of the 2008 Declaration. The paper examines the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, its adoption, its logic, achievements and limitations. It then discusses the definition and the promotion of the “decent work” concept, and its inclusion in the UN system and the international arena. Thereafter, it covers the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, the intricate process towards its adoption, its objectives, principles and potential. Finally, the paper shows how the ILO has reinforced the notion of “social justice” as a central aim of national and international policies.
Past and Future Work at the International Labour Organization
International Organizations Law Review, 2020
This article analyses past and future work at the International Labour Organization (‘ILO’) with reference to the transformational analysis offered by Karl Polanyi, examining how constitutional statements made through ILO Declarations reflect countermovement to market dominance. These policy shifts at the ILO are also analysed in relation to the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic and social), which arguably map onto Polanyi’s three fictitious commodities (with a focus on labour as emblematic of social concerns). It is argued that the emphasis on social justice and sustainability in the 2019 ILO Global Commission Report, including the proposal for a Universal Labour Guarantee, provides significant resistance to the economic orthodoxy regarding the future of work promoted by the World Bank Group and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (‘OECD’). However, this narrative of ILO countermovement also exposes a lack of balanced regulation which re...
The International Labour Organization (ILO) in Past and Present Research
International Review of Social History, 2008
This article addresses from a multidisciplinary perspective key questions, trends, and debates that have determined how the history of the International Labour Organization (ILO) has been conceived over the past ninety years. ILO historiography has to be understood in relation to the historical development of the ILO as an institution; the international political, economic, and social context; and the developments within the scientific discipline, especially the fields of (a globalizing) labour history and international relations/organizations. A starting point for this survey essay is the central hypothesis that the scientific interest in the history of international organizations is very much related to the general importance attached to multilateral structures and the belief in the effectiveness of international cooperation. Based on this analysis of the past trends and the current state of the field, I conclude with comments on lacunae and possible paths for future research on ILO history.
This collection of papers stands out both for its original combination of "old" and "new" topics and for its nuanced account of certain aspects of the history of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The book is a compilation of papers presented during the conference "International Labour Organization: Past and Present" (Brussels, 5-6 October 2007). 1 The purpose of this conference was to give an open forum to scholars from all over the world to present their research results on the ILO rather than to set up a clear-cut programme, which could have formed the basis for the first ILO history. Indeed, the preceding chapters do not offer a comprehensive history of the organization, but they do form a welcome historiographic overview of the themes present-day historians find interesting. Before outlining the commonalities found in these analyses, I will point out the main lacunae in the current scholarly research on the ILO. 2 First, scholars from middle-and low-income countries are still underrepresented in the current ILO academic debate. Although the number of labour studies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America has substantially increased since the 1990s, 3 the study of international organizations in the periphery has not received the same attention as in metropolitan countries. This lack of attention either derives from a belief that international organizations have had a limited impact in less developed societies or from practical difficulties such as limited accessibility to sources. In both cases, the increasingly innovative forms of worldwide communication can have a positive impact on the dissemination of knowledge of international organizations and on the promotion of global research programmes for the study of the ILO.
The ILO: An Agency for Globalization?
Development and Change, 2008
The International Labour Organization, set up in 1919 to develop and promote labour standards, is at a crucial point. It has preached that labour is not a commodity and in 1969 received the Nobel Peace Prize. Since then it has run into trouble. This article considers how the ILO has failed to come to terms with the Global Transformation, seeing it as trying to play three roles -a standard-setter, a technical assistance agency and a knowledge generatorwithout developing the professional capacity to do so. The big question is whether the ILO could become an effective development agency given the changing character of work and labour in globalizing labour markets and its antiquated governance structure.