Work, Labor, and Governance in Global Supply Chains

Work, Labor, and Governance in Global Supply Chains brings together original, empirically grounded research to explore how labor is controlled, contested, and governed across global production networks. Challenging optimistic assumptions about voluntary regulation, the volume demonstrates that poor working conditions are structurally produced through multilevel labor-control regimes shaped by global buyer power, political intervention, and opaque commodity chains. Several chapters expose the limits of corporate "partnership" models and question whether purchasing leverage reliably improves labor standards, while novel analyses of compliance data reveal paradoxes in monitoring systems—most notably that stronger worker voice can increase reported violations by enhancing detection rather than by worsening conditions.

The book highlights pathways for meaningful reform. Case studies of enforceable brand agreements show how binding, union-inclusive mechanisms can deliver tangible gains, supported by evidence linking collective bargaining to improved outcomes. The volume also addresses unexpected forms of worker agency.

Going beyond traditional debates, the contributors examine emerging dynamics such as labor's role in semiconductor competitiveness, the spatial politics of logistics, and climate-driven workplace violence. Together, the chapters argue that effective labor governance must account for states, institutions, social movements, and environmental pressures, offering a multidimensional framework for understanding and transforming work in the global economy.