Do Labour Rights Matter for Export? A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Pineapple Trade to the EU

Abstract

Labour norms are increasingly considered in trade relations, but is the protection of labour standards a necessary condition for export to the EU? A Qualitative Comparative Analysis, based on countries that export pineapples to the EU, shows that labour standards protection matters in combination with distance, zero tariffs and institutional quality in a number of cases. However, for none of the cases was it a sufficient condition on its own for determining exports to the European market. Rather, we show that (1) having a zero tariff is necessary for a relatively large share of export to the EU, and (2) labour standards protection can make a difference when the institutional quality is weak in some African cases, in contrast to Latin American exporters.

Labour Standards and Trade: In Search of Impact and Alternative Instruments

“…Also Oehri (2017) departs from a local perspective, examining civil society complaints in the Dominican Republic and Mexico. In addition to answering the question how trade agreements influence labour practices, the study by Gansemans, Martens, D'Haese and Orbie (2017) turns the question around, and looks at how the protection of labour standards influences market access.…”

“…In this thematic issue, this is also addressed in the study by Marx, Ebert and Hachez (2017), which points to improvements in the dispute settlement mechanism in EU and US FTAs. The study by Kolben (2017), on the other hand, links a supply chain approach to FTAs, while Gansemans et al (2017) specifically analyse the supply chain of pineapples. Changing of laws and regulations and empowerment of groups are addressed in the contributions on Peru, South Korea and to a lesser extent on Brazil.…”

Dynamics of nutrients, sensory quality and microbial communities and their interactions during co-fermentation of pineapple by-products and whey protein

“…As a result, pineapples are increasingly popular with consumers. According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates, global pineapple production will reach 35 million tons by 2023, with China being the major pineapple producer in Asia ( Gansemans, Martens, D’Haese & Orbie, 2017 ). Apart from being consumed fresh, pineapples are processed into canned pineapple and pineapple juice.…”

The Impact of Labour Rights Commitments in EU Trade Agreements: The Case of Peru

“…Here, a distinction is often made between a 'soft' EU approach and a 'hard' US approach (Brown, 2015;Ebert & Posthuma, 2011;Horn, Mavroidis, & Sapir 2010). While the limited number of impact analyses focus on large-N quantitative data (Gansemans, Martens, D'Haese, & Orbie, 2017, in this issue; Postnikov & Bastiaens, 2014) or third country level analysis (Oehri, 2015a(Oehri, , 2015bVan Roozendaal, 2017;Vogt, 2017), we aim to delve deeper into the case of labour rights in the agricultural sector in Peru, considering specific sub-cases such as labour inspection, health and safety at work regulations, and export regimes. Moreover, we analyse the provisions on civil society involvement, as these foresee trade union participation and are seen by the EU as a key mechanism to promote labour rights.…”