|
Decent Work: The policy process
The practical realization of Decent Work requires an understanding of the policy process. Many policy projects fail, in fact, not because they are based on misconceptions as to the appropriate relationship among policy variables, but because they pay insufficient attention to key actors and institutions. The study of the process of policy design and implementation is essential for Decent Work.
The research programme was designed to identify the necessary means of action for the realization of Decent Work. In 2001-02 this programme focused on the role of "civil society" organizations in the policy process. This research is still ongoing and papers on civil society in Bangladesh and South Africa are in the making.
First findings
Preliminary answers to questions on the role of social organizations other than trade unions and employer associations were identified through a literature review on civil society, NGOs, and related constructs such as social capital. A paper, entitled Civil Society, NGOs, and Decent Work Policies: Sorting Out the Issues, was produced and discussed at numerous meetings and seminars. It was also brought out as a Discussion Paper.
The paper argues that "civil society" is a fashionable and evocative expression but can also be ambiguous. The fact that this construct is used to support opposite political and ideological agendas - from state retrenchment and privatization to revitalization of grassroots politics - confirms this fundamental ambiguity. "Civil society" seems to be good or bad depending on the associations attached to it and on contextual factors, including the characteristics of the policy problem in question.
Empirical research
After completing the literature review, the programme entered the empirical research stage. Two empirical research projects were carried out in 2002 and 2003. One concentrated on advanced European countries focusing on how traditional tripartite dialogue is opening up to new actors; the other focused on policy areas such as child labour, income and employment generation, and health care, in countries at different levels of economic development.
Two papers are being finalized on the role played by civil society organizations in Bangladesh and South Africa. Based on field research in the two countries, the papers show that the contribution of civil society organizations is linked to their capacity to promote transparency and accountability in the public sphere and to direct general attention to particular issues. This contrasts with findings reported in many current publications which link the contribution of civil society organizations more to their service-provision role. The IILS research found that the formal inclusion of such organizations in the policy-making process (as in South Africa) helps increase the legitimacy and hence the sustainability of contested policies.
Women and the policy process
As gender perspective forms one of the central themes of the Decent Work paradigm, the potential role of women's associations in providing Decent Work was given special attention. This led to a study of women's civil society associations in Sweden, resulting in the paper On the Border of Corporatism: The Role of Swedish Women's Associations in Providing Decent Work. The study concluded that while Swedish women achieved a high degree of gender equality in the labour market, mainly by being inside the corporatist system, independent women's associations organized on the border of corporatism have also played a unique role as a vanguard advocate for women-friendly reforms.
The role of labour law
Finally, a paper on Globalization and Decent Work Policy: A Labour Law Perspective laid the groundwork for future research in new areas. Central to implementing Decent Work policies is the future role of labour legislation, particularly in the context of an increasingly integrated world economy. In current debates on the future of labour, it has become clear that labour policies and their implementing legislation will have to adapt to more open and competitive markets and to new systems of production and communication. Bringing social policies up to date re-ignites the debate on the optimal balance between legal protection for workers on the one hand and economic competitiveness and employment creation on the other. The paper addresses labour standards and the rights-based approach; legislation in a global economy; the role of labour courts; and the new role of the State.
Publications / Papers
Lucio Baccaro and Marco Simoni, "The Irish social partnership and the 'Celtic tiger' phenomenon." Forthcoming in Giornale di Diritto del Lavoro e Relazioni Industriali, 2004.
Lucio Baccaro, "What is alive and what is dead in the theory of corporatism." British Journal of Industrial Relations, 41(4), Dec. 2003:683-706.
Lucio Baccaro, Kerstin Hamann and Lowell Turner, "The politics of labour movement revitalization." European Journal of Industrial Relations, forthcoming, Spring 2003.
Lucio Baccaro, What is dead and what is alive in the theory of corporatism, Decent Work Research Programme Discussion Paper, No. 143, International Institute for Labour Studies, Geneva, 2002.
Lucio Baccaro, Civil society meets the State: A model of associational democracy, Decent Work Research Programme Discussion Paper, No. 138, International Institute for Labour Studies, Geneva, 2002.
Sabrina Régent, The open method of co-ordination: A supranational form of governance?, Decent Work Research Programme Discussion Paper, No. 137, International Institute for Labour Studies, Geneva, 2002.
Yeong-Soon Kim, On the edge of corporatism: The role of Swedish women's associations in providing Decent Work, Decent Work Research Programme Discussion Paper, No. 129, International Institute for Labour Studies, Geneva, 2001.
Lucio Baccaro, Civil society, NGOs, and decent work policies: Sorting out the issues, Decent Work Research Programme Discussion Paper, No. 127, International Institute for Labour Studies, Geneva, 2001.
Jean-Michel Servais, Globalization and decent work policy: A labour law perspective, International Institute for Labour Studies, Geneva, 2001.
| 
