Garments Without Guilt? Uneven Labour Geographies And Ethical Trading—sri Lankan Labour Perspectives
Ruwanpura Kanchana, 2014
Name of publisher/editor
Journal of Economic Geography
Geographic area
Asia
Summary & key words
Economic geographers tout social upgrading via economic upgrading as a path that engenders labour conditions, while labour geographers underscore the inherent contradictions of corporate governance initiatives. They point to the conceptual flaws of firm-level analysis, given the limited attentiveness to worker actions and labour voice. Others point to the inherent tensions in global governance initiatives as they traverse along global supply chains, and the absence of labour voice within corporate codes. This neglect underpins my article, which uses Sri Lanka as a litmus case to critically engage with labour voice around ethical codes and analyse its efficacy as a form of social upgrading.