A New Target for International Social Reform: The International Labour Organization and Working and Living Conditions in Agriculture in the Inter-War Years

Forclaz, Amalia Ribi

doi:10.1017/s0960777311000336

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This changet ook place within the framework of the TripartiteC ommittee on Agriculture, set up in November1936, whose task was to provide abetter understanding of agricultural problems,a nd to provide guidelines for the development of research, which was taking on an ew dimension. As noted by Amalia Ribi Forclaz (2011), "food, labour,h ealth and the economyw eret hus connected in am uch more integrated and universalist approach to social agricultural problems".⁸⁷ This mobilisation for raising the standard of living of agricultural workers was not,h owever,d rivens olelyb yt he desire to provide assistance to Central and Eastern European countries in order to save the agricultural economy. It was also aimed at stifling the growingi nfluenceo fG ermany in trade relations with this region.⁸⁸ ForThomas, an international publicworks policy could revive economic activity throughout Europe, but also in Asia and in Latin America.H is proposals werec onceivedb othr egionallya nd globally.⁸⁹ Emphasis should be placed here on justh ow audacioust hese proposals werei nt he trying context of 1931.…”

Section: Internationalp Ublic Work: As Olution To the European Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Reform, Modernization and Technical Diplomacy

Plata-Stenger¹

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To Nicolas, Raphaëla nd Mila the Swiss National ScienceF oundation (SNSF).Iw ould liket ot hank Sandrine Kott,m yt hesis supervisor,whose constant support,d ynamism, openness, frankness, experience and wise advice wered ecisive factors in the realisation of this research. Iwould also like to thank Ludovic Tournès, who wasanattentive and demanding co-director,whose remarks and advice made it possible to further improvemyresearch. Ialso wish to expressmy gratitude for the time they have givent om e.Iwould liketothank the ILO archivists, Remo Becci, Renée Berthon and Jacques Rodriguez. Ia mg rateful for their warmw elcome, their advice and for the ideas we exchanged between two boxeso fa rchival files. Iw ould also like to thank the civil servants of the ILO DOSCOM Service whom Ihavehad the pleasure of workingwith duringthese years of research. Iextend my thanks to Jacques Oberson for his welcome to the archivesofthe League of Nations,aswell as the UN archivists in Geneva; Romain Ledauphin of the UN archivesinNew York and Mary Ann Quinn of the Rockefeller Foundation archivesi nN ew York. Iw ould also like to thank Pierre Roehrich for sharing his familyhistory with me and allowing me to consulth is grandfather Maurice Thudichum'sa rchives.

show abstract

Section: Internationalp Ublic Work: As Olution To the European Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Reform, Modernization and Technical Diplomacy

Plata-Stenger¹

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As Amalia Ribi Forclaz noted, the worldwide economic depression deeply influenced the international perception of agricultural problems, such as under employment, low wages and poor standards of living in many rural areas. 28 On a national level, the use of the word 'crisis' in parliament made a similar 'reframing' of the agricultural question possible.…”

Section: The Crisis Metaphormentioning

confidence: 99%

‘The Troublesome Word of Crisis’: Discourse on the Agricultural Crisis of the 1930s in the Belgian Parliament

Eskens¹

2018

Rural History

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The concept of a ‘crisis’ was omnipresent in the period of economic depression in the 1930s. What is more, the agricultural crisis was part of a never previously experienced despair in Europe and the whole of the Western world. Historians have extensively researched the crisis in agriculture, however, without reflecting on the consequences of the use of the concept and the discourse related to it. In this article – inspired by refreshing historical research on parliamentary practices – I investigate the language and figures of speech used in the Belgian Parliament to frame the agricultural question in a particular way. The case of Belgium is unique because farmers’ associations were well represented in parliament, in spite of the declining importance of agriculture in the active population and national economy. Since 1840 onwards, Belgian governments had embraced free trade and pursued an economic policy with little or no trade obstructions, dictated by the interests of the export industry. The depression of the 1930s urged a re-evaluation of the relationship between the state and the economy, which extended to agriculture. The Belgian free trade tradition – already exceptionally abandoned during and immediately after the Great War to cope with food scarcity – seemed to crumble during the interwar period as farmers’ associations asked for protectionist measures from 1929 onwards. This article contributes to our understanding of this paradigm shift from free trade towards agricultural protectionism. Furthermore, it gives an insight into the complexity of the interest groups campaigning for agricultural protectionism and using specific metaphors and discourse to influence politics.

show abstract

Agriculture, American expertise, and the quest for global data: Leon Estabrook and the First World Agricultural Census of 1930

Forclaz

2016

Journal of Global History

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article provides a history of the First World Agricultural Census of 1930, an ambitious international attempt to evaluate world agricultural resources through the compilation of global statistics on crops, livestock, and agricultural production. Based on primary archival material, it explores how the census emerged from the connections between American and international institutions at a time when food security and the need to address problems of trade and competition appeared as central economic concerns of interstate relations. The article focuses on the role played by the American agricultural expert Leon Estabrook (1869–1937) and a related network of scientists and economists in the preparation and implementation of the statistical survey. By examining how Estabrook’s vision of economic development and scientific planning was shaped by his national background and redefined by his transnational engagement, the article sheds light on the global dominance and limitations of American scientific knowledge and agricultural practices in the interwar years. It uncovers the political manoeuvrings and negotiations that were necessary to move forward with the project, and assesses the survey’s outcome against the backdrop of the global economic downturn of the 1930s.

show abstract

A New Target for International Social Reform: The International Labour Organization and Working and Living Conditions in Agriculture in the Inter-War Years

Cited by 9 publications

References 22 publications

Social Reform, Modernization and Technical Diplomacy

Social Reform, Modernization and Technical Diplomacy

‘The Troublesome Word of Crisis’: Discourse on the Agricultural Crisis of the 1930s in the Belgian Parliament

Agriculture, American expertise, and the quest for global data: Leon Estabrook and the First World Agricultural Census of 1930

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About