Research Department Working Paper n°47

Decent work in global supply chains: An internal research review

This article provides an inventory of the research carried out by the ILO on decent work in GSCs between 2014 and 2019 and helps to identify the challenges and remaining gaps in terms of research.

The research undertaken by the ILO has covered a particularly broad spectrum of issues and embraced a large array of methods and disciplinary approaches. It has made a substantial contribution to the general knowledge of GSCs on three broad areas: first, the global functioning of GSCs and their impacts on jobs and development; next, their impacts on working conditions and labour rights; and, finally, the governance of labour within GSCs.