A Look at Labor Standards and Neglected Human Rights Issues

Various groups have been demanding that discussions of labor standards be included in all future trade negotiations. The press is full of stories of alleged exploitation of child labor and other employment abuses in developing countries and human rights groups have demanded that something be done about it. However, the press and the academic literature have neglected various property, contract and association rights issues relating to labor standards in lesser developed countries. This paper attempts to remedy that deficiency and to start a discussion of some issues that have been overlooked or inadequately discussed. The tools of analysis will include both utilitarian ethics and rights-based ethics. A bibliography with links to more than 100 papers on trade is also included