abstract collection atc 2014 26-6...in 2000, the united nations set ambitious goals for the world,...

ICDD Annual Thematic Conference 2014

Reflections on MDG 1 ‘Decent Work for All’: Where Do We Stand?

3 ‐ 4 July 2014, University of Kassel, Campus Witzenhausen

ABSTRACTS*

*The conference program may differ from this abstract collection. Not all conference contributions must be included in this

collection.

CONTENTS Research at the International Center for Development and Decent Work....…………………………1 Panel page

Welcome notes .......................................................................................................................... 4 Invited panel: The post‐MDG debate......................................................................................... 4 Panel 1a: Pursuing MDG I target 2: ‘Decent work for all’ .......................................................... 5 Panel 1b: Women’s decent work deficit .................................................................................... 7 Invited panel: Beyond decent work deficits............................................................................... 9 Panel 2a: Sustainable development in agriculture .................................................................. 10 Panel 2b: The political economy of labour in Latin America ................................................... 12 Panel 2c: Working conditions along the supply chain II .......................................................... 14 Invited panel: Production, health and livelihoods in tropical landuse systems ...................... 17 Panel 3a: Livelihood strategies in agriculture .......................................................................... 18 Panel 3b: Labour on the move: Migrant experiences.............................................................. 20 Panel 3c: The social dimension of trade .................................................................................. 21 Panel 4a: Structural challenges – simple solutions? ................................................................ 23 Panel 4b: Labour conditions in Latin America.......................................................................... 24 Panel 4c: Employment creation in rural areas ......................................................................... 27 Invited panel: The future of MDGs........................................................................................... 28

Abstracts for the ICDD Annual Thematic Conference ““Reflections on MDG 1 ‘Decent Work for All’: Where Do We Stand?” (3‐4 July 2014, University of Kassel)

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Research at the International Center for Development and Decent Work

The ICDD wants to contribute to knowledge generation on problems of development and decent work. It therefore combines social, agricultural and natural sciences in an inter‐ and trans‐disciplinary approach, particularly addressing agricultural commodity chains and their potential for decent work opportunities. Agriculture provides jobs for 1.3 billion smallholders and landless workers in the developing world. Many of these jobs do not ensure decent levels of income or sustainable livelihoods, mainly for two reasons. On the one hand, value creation is low due to low productivity and soil depletive practices. On the other hand, rural workers are among the most socially vulnerable due to the many obstacles they face against collective action. Three research clusters (RC01, RC02 and RC03) investigate these factors in more detail by addressing three main questions:

1. How can value creation be increased in order to allow for better working conditions and income of those engaged in value creation?

2. Which instruments are best suited to promote decent work in the respective contexts?

3. Which strategies are available for empowering workers to ensure decent work by political means?

The three Research Clusters are:

RC01: Sustainable Value Creation for Decent Work RC02: Instruments for Promoting Decent Work RC03: Strategies of Empowerment for Decent Work

Each research cluster comprises a number of projects investigating various aspects of the topic from different disciplinary angles. The PhD thesis fit thematically into these research clusters and are complemented by post doctoral and senior scientist research based on shorter field trips.

During the Annual Thematic Conference results of most research projects will be presented. Presentations related to a research project are included and marked in the conference programme. You can also find the panel and time of these presentations in the overview table below.


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Research Cluster 1 : Sustainable Value Creation for Decent Work

Start Title Project Coordinators

2009 Remittances for Decent Work Prof. Dr. Beatrice Knerr

2010 Coupling Plant and Animal Production Systems for Poverty Alleviation in Cholistan (Pakistan) and Rajasthan (India)

Prof. Dr. Andreas Bürkert Prof. Dr. Eva Schlecht Prof. Dr. Michael Wachendorf Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan

2011 Adding Value to Agricultural Products Using Solar Energy (Panel 3a; Fri, 4 July, 11:15‐13:00)

Prof. Dr. Anjum Munir Prof. Dr. Oliver Hensel

2012 Agrodiversity, labour migration, decent work, and agricultural development in Yucatan, Mexico(Panel 3b; Fri, 4 July; 11:15‐13:00)

Prof. Dr. Andreas Bürkert Prof. Dr. Beatrice Knerr Prof. Dr. Juan Jose Jimenez Osornio

2012 Supply Chain Management at the base of the pyramid (Panel 1c; Thu, 3 July; 11:15‐13:00)

Prof. Dr. Stefan Seuring

2012 Biodiversity and Variation in Nutritional Properties of Pakistani Dates: Implications for Sustainable Value Chain and Decent Living (Panel 2a; Thu, 3 July, 16:15‐18:00)

Prof. Dr. Andreas Bürkert Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan

Research Cluster 2 : Instruments for Promoting Decent Work


2010 On the Political Economy of Labor Market and Social Reforms in Latin America (Panel 2b; Thu, 3 July; 16:15‐18:00)

Prof. Dr. Hans‐Jürgen Burchardt

2011 The Governance of the Financial Sector and its Impact on the Decent Work Agenda

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherrer Prof. Dr. Simone Deos Prof. Dr. Ana Rosa Ribeiro de Mendonça Prof. Dr. Adriana Nunes Ferreira

2013 Creation of Decent Work Employment in rural areas of Laikipia (Kenya) through eco‐tourism, with a special focus on village communities (Panel 4c; Fri, 4July; 14:45‐16:15)

Prof. Dr. Beatrice Knerr Dr. Christian Hülsebusch Dr. George Owuor

2011 The Employment Challenge: Towards a Trade and Currency Regime for Decent Work (Panel 3c; Fri, 4 July, 11:15‐13:00)

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherrer Prof. Dr. Andreas Hänlein


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2013 Strategies for Overcoming Economic Inequality (Panel 4a; Fri, 4 July; 14:45‐16:15)

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherrer Prof. Dr. Anselmo Dos Santos Prof. Dr. Sharit Bhowmik Prof. Dr. Michelle Williams

Research Cluster 3 : Strategies of Empowerment for Decent Work


2009 Working conditions along agricultural value chains (Panel 1c; Thu, 3 July; 11:15‐13:00)

PD Dr. Brigitte Kaufmann Dr. Christian Hülsebusch Dr. Joseph Matofari Dr. George Owuor

2009 Strategies of Empowerment for (Migrant) Domestic Workers (Panel 3b; Fri, 4 July; 11:15‐13:00)

Prof. Dr. Helen Schwenken Lisa‐Marie Heimeshoff Maren Kirchhoff

2010 Work, Livelihood Strategies and Economic Security in the Twenty‐first century (Book launch; Fri, 4 July, 14:00‐14:30) Prof. Dr. Khayaat Fakier

Prof. Dr. Edward Webster Prof. Dr. Sharit Bhowmik

2012 Decent Work or Decent Life?: The Quest for an Economics of "Happiness" (Panel 4a; Fri, 4 July; 14:45‐16:15)

Prof. Dr. Devan Pillay

2013 Organising Vulnerable Workers: South Africa, Ghana and India

Prof. Dr. Edward WebsterProf. Dr. Akua Britwum

Prof. Dr. Sharit Bhowmik

Prof. Dr. Khayaat Fakier


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Welcome notes

(Thursday, 3 July 2014, 9:00 ‐ 10:45, Zeichensaal) Why bother about United Nations declarations such as MDGs? Christoph Scherrer (University of Kassel) In 2000, the United Nations set ambitious goals for the world, the Millennium Development Goals. Poverty was supposed to be eradicated by 2015. This goal will be missed by a large margin. It does not come as a surprise. Especially concerning the marginalized in the world, the UN has a track record of failure. This track record raises questions about the sincerity of those proclaiming these ambitious goals. Worse, some of the goals may only sound good but actually divert attention from more pressing issues. Case in point is MDG I. The focus on poverty in combination with the threshold indicator of a Dollar a day reduces poverty to an issue of income that could be overcome by charity. Structural causes of poverty such as social inequality or lack of employment recede to the background. It took the International Labour Organization a couple of years to place full and productive employment as a target under MDG I. So, why shall we bother about MDGs? I will argue that we can use these lofty declarations to legitimize struggles to overcome poverty and to remind the governments of the world of their own commitments and responsibilities. But if the goals and indicators are not critically examined and if the governments, especially of the rich countries, are not taken to task for their counterproductive behavior in the realm of global economic governance, then United Nations Declarations such as MDGs are only legitimizing the status quo.

Invited panel: The post‐MDG debate

(Thursday, 3 July 2014, 11:15 ‐ 13:00, Zeichensaal) Post‐2015: A right to productive employment and decent work? Gabriele Köhler (Development Economist) Full and productive employment and decent work took a back seat during the MDG era, whereas food security and income poverty have received much policy attention and clocked up – marginal – improvements (if one believes mainstream statistics). Why is decent work a more elusive goal? Reasons include that – ultimately – full employment and decent work would require genuine political, economic, social and ecological transformation. Productive assets and wealth would need to be restructured, production chains made equitable and sustainable, the existing gender‐ and class‐biased distribution of remunerative and of care work challenged, time budgets renegotiated,


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consumption and production patterns radically altered, the share of remuneration in GDP increased, education and skills training reorganised, and ultimately the informal economy formalised. It is obviously easier to advance social protection and health insurance, which are protective and re‐distributive targets, whereas the right to decent work challenges the logic of the system.

Panel 1a: Pursuing MDG I target 2: ‘Decent work for all’

(Thursday, 3 July 2014, 11:15 ‐ 13:00, Zeichensaal) A brief history of labour issues in the global development agenda: Lessons for decent work Nick Bernards (McMaster University) This paper argues that we might find some clues about the limitations of the current MDG target of ‘Decent Work for all’ in previous efforts to link international development agendas to labour rights and employment. Specifically, the paper examines the ILO’s early efforts to promote ‘development’ in the period of decolonization and the later articulation of a ‘Basic Needs’ approach to development in the 1970s. It is argued that these examples show that connecting labour and development is a potentially double‐edged proposition. On one hand, the incorporation of labour issues into development planning implies at some focus on the wellbeing of everyday people in the developing world. On the other, historically labour issues have generally been incorporated into global development agendas only in very limited ways. Two recurrent problems are particularly notable: labour issues are often seen as a kind of ‘adjunct’ to the basic goals of global development; and they are often formulated in terms reflecting an ironic combination of ‘technical’ emphases and ambiguity. Labour and employment issues have thus often been framed as a question of conducting research and setting appropriate policies within the context of the existing world economy, eliding more fundamental political questions and underlying structural causes of unemployment. The paper concludes by arguing that the politics of global development pose important limits for the articulation of a genuinely inclusive, transformative development agenda.


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Employment‐related Millennium Development Goal targets: A critique and a proposal for better measuring decent work Martin Ostermeier (GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies) With the MDG deadline approaching, the international community has started to discuss the structure and content of a post‐2015 development agenda. Our work contributes to this current debate by proposing alternative targets and indicators for the measurement of employment outcomes in a post‐2015 framework. In the paper we first introduce some formal requirements of good indicators and subsequently check to what extent the current indicators comply with these criteria. In this context we provide a detailed discussion of the current employment‐related indicators and highlight their strengths and weaknesses. In particular, we find that measurement problems, the inappropriate use of aggregate statistics, ambiguous interpretability, and assumptions which often do not hold true in the context of developing countries cause major shortcomings in the current indicators. There is a general tendency to discriminate against self‐employment and some indicators entail an implicit valuation of employment types and categories (e.g. that self‐employed are per se more vulnerable than wage workers) that is not based on firm empirical grounds. This critique has motivated our proposal of a new set of employment‐related targets and indicators for the post‐2015 development agenda. We argue for a more explicit reference to (i) equity and (ii) social protection, which are both important determinants of decent work. Inequality has emerged as a key aspect in the post‐2015 discussions that was not adequately addressed in the original MDGs. It is a major obstacle to poverty reduction, economic growth and improved social conditions. The UN Task Team has postulated equality as one of the three fundamental principles for the post‐2015 framework. Likewise, social protection seems only insufficiently covered in the current MDG targets and indicators. Although it constitutes one of the pillars of the ILO Decent Work Agenda and is an important instrument for the pursuit of at least 6 of the 8 present MDGs, social protection is only implicitly captured within the current MDG indicators: in the vulnerable employment rate and under goal 5 in the antenatal care coverage and skilled birth attendance. Evidence shows that the informal sector is not entirely absorbed by the formal economy with increasing levels of development. Thus, there is no rationale to assume that individuals will automatically benefit from social protection through the eventual inclusion in the formal labour market. Due to the multi‐dimensional nature of employment we argue for the formulation of an independent employment goal (achieve decent work for all) and a corresponding set of targets and indicators in the post‐2015 agenda. This first target (achieve productive work and decent pay for all) should be operationalized through three indicators: (i) the growth rate of labour value added per worker, (ii) the working poverty rate and (iii) the share of workers receiving less than 60 per cent of the median labour income. For the second target (reduce vulnerable employment) we propose two indicators: (i) the share of the economically active population contributing to a pension fund and (ii) the proportion of wage‐workers without a work contract. We further illustrate the empirical application of the indicators by using national household survey data from Uganda and Peru. This enables us to also depict the work situation of the informally employed and self‐employed, a group often neglected in official statistics. The empirical illustration shows the general applicability of the proposed indicators but also highlights data limitations, especially with respect to measuring social


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protection. Our results clearly show a lack of decent work within both components, equity as well as social protection, and hence confirm our proposed targets. Moreover, the need for standardised household surveys with a consistent methodology are underlined once again.

Panel 1b: Women’s decent work deficit

(Thursday, 3 July 2014, 11:15 ‐ 13:00, H 13) Gender perspective on the progress of MDGs campaign in Pakistan Saira Akhtar (University of Agriculture Faisalabad) Pakistan is geographically and politically important but unstable country. The level of gender inequality is very high in the country both in urban and rural settings. Pakistan is also signatory to MDGs. For the attainment of eight millennium goals the UN millennium declaration has fixed eighteen targets and 37 indicators; Pakistan has adopted 16 targets and 37 indicators. In which MDG three is about gender equality and women empowerment including one target on education and indicators on women employment and political participation. When we review the progress of MDGs in regard with gender, in education the situation is somehow satisfactory also many things are happening for improvement in mother and child health. Political participation is improving women held 22.2% of the total number of seats in National assembly. In provincial assemblies is 17.5% against reserved seats of 17.5%; in the senate 17 out of 100 seats. Share of women in non‐agriculture wage employment is 10.45%. Maternal mortality ratio is 276. HIV prevalence among (aged 15 to 49) pregnant women is 0.041%. (MDG 2013Pakistan) Labor force participation is 24.4%. Unemployment rate of females in Pakistan is 9.0%. Share of employment as wage and salaried workers female 21.6%. (ILO 2012‐13). Female employee in agriculture is 72.9%. (World bank 2010). However Govt and civil society are making efforts in reducing discrimination against women. The serious problem is also non availability of gender segregated data. Now the Govt and other agencies are trying to provide the separate the figures related to women. Many UN agencies and NGOs are trying to integrate women in to current social and economic policies. But the need is to understand the nature (dominate and subordinate) of relations among women and men. Impact of different policies on women must be analyzed. Work should not be just for some groups of women but excluded groups should also be included in the process of development. Pakistan committed on gender equality but there is a great concern that they are not adding the gains from Beijing, Cairo and other UN conferences. Set the minimalist agenda but fail to integrate the gender perspective (cross cutting) in the all eight goals. There is much focus on poverty eradication and gender equality; without addressing the fundamental causes of these problems. Only treating the symptoms, not taking in consideration the grass root level phenomena and situations.


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Food security and poverty reduction through rural women empowerment in Pakistan Aneela Afzal (PMAS Arid Agricultural University, Rawilpindi) Pakistani society in general and Indus valley in particular is amongst the oldest agricultural societies. Agriculture is embedded deep into the social and cultural fabric of Pakistan. The Food Security again will come out with strong implications on social aspects of our nation whose analysis is of paramount importance for Pakistan being already stranded in a volatile environment. The main aim of this research was to analyze the effectiveness of food security policy in ensuring rural food security and poverty reduction in the region. The locale of the study was Rawalpindi tehsil and sampling of 120 female respondents was selected. The researcher used simple random sampling for data collection. Then the data were analyzed through SPSS. Outcomes of this work will be helpful if women would be empowered financially and economically then they would become independent in their decisions, which can play a vital role in food security and poverty reduction in rural areas.

Examining labor organizing strategies of migrant domestic workers in Malaysia Verna Viajar (University of Kassel) Awareness of migrant domestic workers’ issues (MDWs) in Malaysia and initiatives in addressing these issues has started since early 2000. However, organizing domestic workers into trade unions or labor organizations have been ambivalent and inconsistent in the last 10 years. The work of human rights, women and migrant NGOs in addressing MDWs issues are more focused on policy‐advocacy, campaigns and assistance on a case‐to‐case basis on extreme cases of human rights violations. The trade union movement in Malaysia remain largely comprised of male, Malay and formal workers. Organizing continue to focus towards workers allowed under the Malaysia labor laws, those who are regularly employed, citizens of Malaysia, and majority of whom are male. The non‐citizens, migrants and women workers, whose conditions are precarious, vulnerable and temporary, remain in the margins. Organizing informal workers including the home‐based, migrants and domestic workers in Asia has achieved great strides in the last 10 years. And the great divide, persistent tensions and autonomy between labour NGOs and trade unions has somehow been bridged within this period. However, long‐held beliefs fossilized in legal frameworks remain to prevent labor organizing of domestic workers and recognizing domestic work as work in Malaysia. Actions and advocacy addressing domestic workers problems in Malaysia are mostly within the purview of women NGOs, women‐led human rights groups, and women staff of trade unions. Trade unions continue to segregate women issues instead of it being integrated in the whole trade union programs and actions. This paper proposes to discuss the extent and limits of labor organizing of migrant domestic workers in Malaysia and the facilitating and hindering factors towards this goal. Through data gathered from the key informant interviews during fieldwork, this paper seeks to explain the difficulty in organizing domestic workers in Malaysia, the social relations of key


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socio‐political actors including the Malaysian state and its institutions on labor and migration with institutions of sending countries, the trade union movement, and other non‐state actors including the human rights NGOs, migrant/women and church organizations. This paper likewise intends to explore the organizing strategies that emerged from the dynamics of these social relations including tensions in the trade union and labor NGOs relations and lessons that can be derived from them. This paper intends to argue that the concrete labor relations in Malaysia involving its present industrial relations, capacity of the trade union movement and relations with other non‐state actors (i.e. NGOs), influence the limits and ambivalent organizing strategies of migrant domestic workers in the country.

Invited panel: Beyond decent work deficits

(Thursday, 3 July 2014, 14:00 ‐ 15:45, Zeichensaal) Critical feminist reflections on the development promise: 15 years on Wendy Harcourt (Erasmus University Rotterdam) The talk will reflect on what a future sustainable development would look like if it took on social distribution and social protection, respect for the limits of the planet’s carrying capacity and limits to corporate control and commodity speculation. The talk will discuss how the post 2015 development policy framework needs to include crucial role of women in the formal and care economy. The talk will discuss transformative development processes beyond dominant neoliberal narratives with a focus on feminist approaches to economics that incorporate ethics, political ecology, gender, race and other social relationships. The talk will argue that just social provisioning requires a more grounded ethical and political understanding of economic relations built around concepts of care, distribution, justice, regeneration and flourishing.

MDGs in post‐colonial perspective Aram Ziai (University of Kassel) From a postcolonial perspective, the MDGs constitute yet another cycle of the development promise initiated during the Cold War with the objective of keeping the former colonies within the capitalist world system and legitimizing the ‘development industry’ and its interventions. They are based on a naive and depoliticized conception of politics and


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contribute to the identity formation of global elites, while serious attempts to attain global justice are not regarded as politically feasible – and not as development policy.

Panel 2a: Sustainable development in agriculture

(Thursday, 3 July 2014, 16:15 ‐ 18:00, Zeichensaal) Biodiversity and variation in nutritional properties of Pakistani dates: Implications for sustainable value chain and decent living (ICDD research project presentation) Andreas Bürkert (University of Kassel) Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is one of the world’s oldest fruit trees which is grown in many sub‐tropical areas of the world, but its center of origin is unclear. Pakistan is an agriculture based economy, with agro‐ecological zones suitable for the production of Date palm. Baluchistan is the major contributor with 42 % of the country’s total production. The bioclimatic conditions of this region make it favorable for wide occurrence of wild as well as domesticated date palms. Due to its dioecious nature, this species has a high genetic diversity which needs to be properly assessed in search for solving the mystery of its center of origin. The present thesis study focuses on the characterization of date palm trees in Baluchistan to determine the level of genetic diversity. This objective will be accomplished through PCR based genome analyses which includes mining of the microsatellite sequences from the whole genome sequence and barcoding through gene specific sequencing. To this end leaf samples have been collected from different districts of Baluchistan that is Panjgoor and Turbat, and collection efforts will be extended to Wahshuk and Mastung. Social data related to the time of cultivation, local varietal preferences and the origin of local varietal names will also be included in this study. It will generate important information regarding the diversity and origin of date palm in Baluchistan and its relationship with date palm heritage and social life of Baloch population groups.

Sustainable livestock development through eco‐friendly plant‐based medication in Cholistan desert, Pakistan: A step towards decent livings of pastoralists Muhammad Asif Raza (University of Agriculture Faisalabad) Cholistan desert is one of the least developed areas of Pakistan and people lead a semi‐nomadic life, moving from one place to another in search of water and fodder for their animals. The local tribes store rainwater in man‐made ponds in the ground or between sand hills, called ‘tobas’, for the consumption of their livestock and themselves. In 2006, the


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region hosted about 1.3 Mio head of livestock, more than ten times the local human population. Ceremonies like weddings, funerals and tribal celebrations include slaughtering and exchange of animals, and traditionally wealth is assessed from the number of animals owned by the individual. Although a significant surface of Cholistan is covered with sand dunes; fortunately, about 60% of this desert region is richly endowed with highly adapted grasses, shrubs and trees and this natural flora has a rich heritage of scientifically unexplored botanical pharmacopoeia. Due to their poverty and remoteness, pastoralists cannot easily contact veterinary personnel; therefore, they use the local plant species as traditional remedies for the treatment of their animals’ and their own ailments. Against this background, this research was conducted under the umbrella of the International Center for Development and Decent Work (ICDD) focused on a development aspect; it was firstly a baseline survey was carried out across five locations, using a structured questionnaire to collect data from 100 livestock farmers and 20 local healers, to know which major animal health problems they face and which of the naturally occurring plants they use for the treatment of animal diseases. Eighty‐six traditional remedies based on 64 plants belonging to 43 families were used. The plants Capparis deciduas (n=55 mentions), Salsola foetida (n=52), Suaeda fructicosa (n=46), Haloxylon salicornicum (n=42) and Haloxylon recurvum (n=39) were said to be most effective against the gastrointestinal (GI) parasites infestations. In a second step regionally most prevalent GI parasites of sheep and goats (500 each species) were determined from pastoral herds. Overall helminth prevalence was 78.1% in 1000 animals and was especially prevalent in suckling animals (goats 85.2%, sheep 88.5%) and to a lesser extent in young (goats 80.6%, sheep 79.3%) and adults (goats 72.8%, sheep 73.8%). Haemonchus (H) contortus, Trichuris (T) ovis and Paramphistomum (P) cervi were the most prevalent helminths. In a third step in vitro anthelmintic activity of aqueous, methanol and aqueous‐methanol extracts of above mentioned plants was investigated against adult worms of H. contortus, T. ovis and P. cervi via adult motility assay. Based on result it is concluded that methanol and aqueous‐methanol extracts of C. decidua, H. recurvum and H. salicornicum as well as methanol extract of S. fructicosa have the potential to be developed into plant‐based medicine against helminth infestations. Manufacturing/ formulation of plant‐based remedies will be initiated as a profitable business; these can be marketed on regional or larger scale that might not only improve livelihood conditions but also create employment opportunities for pastoralists to gain a decent income in the remote and underdeveloped region of Pakistan.


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Panel 2b: The political economy of labour in Latin America

(Thursday, 3 July 2014, 16:15 ‐ 18:00, H 13) The Ecuadorian struggle for decent work Jorge Forero (Coordinating Ministry of Knowledge and Human Talent of Ecuador) Despite of the fact that fourteen years have passed since the launch of the Millennium Development Goals, some of them are still far from showing any sign of accomplishment. Target 2 of goal 1, which looks at achieve “decent work for all”, is not an exception. The current global work indicators show us how far we are from being able to achieve this kind of global commitments. But, despite of the current global economic context, marked by one of the bigger economic crises of the history of capitalism, some countries have obtained some upturns in this difficult area. During the last seven years, labor indicators in Ecuador have strongly improved: unemployment, at the beginning of 2014 is 4.12% ‐the lowest in Latin America, in a context in which real salaries have risen by 30% during the last 6 years, and draconian legislation has emerged to prevent underemployment and informality. On the other hand, looking at the specific context in which this happened, it seems like this kind of achievements have been possible because of polemic policy decisions, linked with the Ecuadorian role in the world economy. Some of them correspond to a political project opposed to the neoliberal consensus, prevalent in the regions since the 90's. All those improvements in the labor field occur in a context of permanent political contention. In spite of these achievements, the universal character of an objective that seeks “decent work for all” seems to be difficult to attain, and maybe because of both, the structural reforms required to attain it, and of course, the local and global conflict thus generated. The Ecuadorian case serves to understand the economic and political factors that have helped to move toward the accomplishment of the target, and, at the same time, those that impose limitations to the eventual accomplishment of the objective.

Minimum wage, employment and informality in Argentina: New evidence Fernando Groisman (Universidad de Buenos Aires) The main objective of the paper is to examine the effects of the minimum wage policy in Argentina during the last decade. It is intended to estimate its impact on employment, wages –and their distribution– with special emphasis on the informal sector. In recent years an intensified use of minimum wage policies by several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean can be observed. Though not being the only kind of policy, the implementation of such policies has gained certain relevance among wage policy options since the beginning of the new century. Along with a wide range of active labour market policies,


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there has been a marked increase of the minimum wage of around 40% in real terms between the beginning and the end of the first decade of the current century. In Argentina, with respect to the 1990s, the nominal value of the legal minimum wage increased 24 times while its purchasing power almost tripled. The analytical relevance surrounding minimum wage policies in Latin American countries draws additional importance from the high informality that characterises their labour markets. Precisely, the high proportion of workers in informal employment, that is who are not registered in the official employment registers, adds several questions about the impact that setting a legal minimum wage may have on this labour segment. For example, it is important to know whether increases in the minimum wage, which by definition concern only workers in the formal economy employment, might cause a descent in wages of informal workers. Furthermore, since in many cases the minimum wage is also binding with regard to the wage scales fixed in collective bargaining agreements, modifying it may also provoke changes in these wage scales. Similarly, it is necessary to analyse whether such policies cause job transitions between the two segments of workers: from formality to informality or vice versa. The magnitude of the informal sector in Argentine is high and it seems to be a persistent feature of the economic structure (45% of total employment). In other words, a considerable fraction of the population is exposed to labour vulnerability and precariousness –almost– permanently. In this context it is quite pertinent to explore the effects of setting a federal minimum wage that may have impacts on the propensity of entering/leaving informal jobs, among others. The data used stems mostly from the Permanent Household Survey (EPH) which is undertaken by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC).

On the political economy of labor market and social reforms in Latin America (ICDD research project presentation) Stefan Peters (University of Kassel) Latin America is the region with the highest inequalities worldwide. The characteristic of extreme inequalities is persistent throughout different development models. Since the beginning of the 2000s, however, major political shifts have brought the issue of the reduction of social inequalities back on the regional political agenda. Indeed, during the ‘Left Turn’ in Latin America poverty and social inequalities decreased. The ICDD research project investigates the recent labor market and social reforms that – in a context of economic windfalls – permitted the realisation of these social improvements. Especially, the expansion of Social Transfer programs did help to reduce poverty and extreme poverty, whereas minimum wages and efforts to formalize traditional informal sectors of the economy did help to decrease social inequalities and improve the labor conditions of part of the disadvantaged workers. Although these positive changes are important steps towards the eradication of poverty and the strengthening of decent work in Latin America, recently doubts have been raised regarding the long‐term stability of these improvements. Especially linkages between the recent changes of social policies and labor markets on the one hand,


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and the prevalent (neo‐) extractive development model in the region are still missing. The presentation therefore will first resume the recent reforms and their social and labor market outcomes. Secondly, it will present an outlook for a further research perspective which links the reform process, and especially the labor policies with the new (neo‐) extractive development model.

A tale of two labor markets: wage work in Brazil and Mexico Carlos Salas (State University of Campinas) Over the last 15 years, the once parallel economic trajectories of Brazil and Mexico have parted away. Because of the implementation of different development policies, not only macroeconomic results are divergent. Employment, wages and social protection for workers now show two different paths in each country. This paper will examine the different outcomes for labor derived from two opposite development models. I will use comparable data for the two countries on employment levels, employment structure by economic sector and occupations, wages and forms of social protection. An especial section will be devoted to analyze how these variables differ by gender. The text will have a section with an assessment of the impact on labor of two opposite development processes, one export dependent and the other, internal market dependent. As a result, the text will be a contribution to the ongoing debate on the evolution of decent work in these countries, pointing out a set of limits and potential obstacles to the further advancement of decent labor conditions in each country.

Panel 2c: Working conditions along the supply chain II

(Thursday, 3 July 2014, 16:15 ‐ 18:00, H 33) Poverty alleviation and ecological sustainability through informal valorization: A case study on water sachets in Ghana Carolin Brix‐Asala (University of Kassel) Inclusion of the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) is in line with the Millennium Development Goal 1 target 2 in the aspect of job creation and this in a sustainable manner. In recent BoP articles, aspects of ecological sustainability as well as supply chain issues still seem to be rather neglected. This study specifically deals with these topics by analyzing the value chain of portable drinking water distributed in so‐called “water sachets” in Ghana. This typical BoP product shows trade‐offs between positive social aspects in terms of affordable prices and


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the generation of income on the one hand and negative ecological aspects of pollution through packaging on the other hand. The study builds upon the concept of informal valorization, stemming from waste management research, and emphasizes the role of informal waste pickers who extract value from the end of life product. The combination of BoP literature, reverse logistics and the concept of informal valorization serves as an analytical framework. The BoP population is integrated in value generation not only in the conventional supply chain leading to the end consumer but also in the reduction process of the product following the use phase. Specifically, the ecological dimension is addressed by material reverse flows through valorization incentives for the BoP segment which portrays the economic dimension. Furthermore, the valorization opportunity stands for considering the social dimension due to the inclusion of the BoP population. Thus, the present case study offers a holistic perspective of sustainability issues and challenges in BoP supply chains. We advance the BoP literature by introducing aspects of reverse logistics and the concept of informal valorization.

Competitive pressures and labour rights: Power and labour relations in Indonesian oil palm plantation and automobile global production networks Hariati Sinaga (University of Kassel) It is widely argued that trade liberalization creates and intensifies competitive Pressures that might undermine labour rights. While there have been ongoing debates on this issue, comparative studies on sectoral level have been lacking. The latter will certainly bring a more profound understanding on the causal link between trade liberalization and labour rights. This paper is intended to fill this research gap by investigating competitive pressures and labour rights in the oil palm plantations and Automobile industry, the two important manufacturing and agriculture sectors in Indonesia. Oil palm plantation sector is considered as a labour intensive sector, while the automobile industry is a capital intensive one. Aside from the deficit of sectoral level study, the existing discussions on trade liberalization and labour rights have mainly employed mainstream trade theories. Although such theories might also be useful in explaining the causal connection at the sectoral level, the theory dismisses power relations, particularly between firms, workers and the state. As such, this study takes the perspective of the Global production network (GPN) approach, which considers the issue of power and labour relations. Moreover, the increasing intra industry trade makes it more useful to analyse sectors using the lens of the GPN approach as it gives a more nuance on the location of the sectors in the global economy. By analyzing the power interplay between firms, workers and the state, this paper identifies several aspects of salience in understanding the causal link between competitive pressures and labour rights. A comparative analysis between the automobile and oil palm plantation sectors in Indonesia would also conclude a classification between general and sector specific aspects.


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Tomatoes and decent work? Processes of exploitation between greenhouses and packing plants in Andalusia Olaf Tietje (University of Kassel) Most of the Andalusian agricultural workers are migrants without fixed contracts. Most of them do not have European passports and therefore are barely able to resist against the bad conditions of work and payment. Obviously they are threatened by deportation or at least the loss of their jobs. The activities of the workers are differentiated in two parts: the work at the greenhouses and the work at the packing plants. These two parts are characterized by hard work 8 to 12 hours a day, little time of breaks and little or no extra pay for the extra hours of work – and of course: by very low wages in general. Further Trade Unions in this context are barely working with undocumented workers because of their status. Only the small regional ones like ‘SOC‐SAT’ are cooperating with all workers – whatever their status may be – but nevertheless they have very low influence on politics or employers. However one interesting phenomenon is that women are working at the packing plants and men almost entirely at the greenhouses, furthermore the work at the packing plants is much better paid. This is, according to the gender pay gap, a little surprise in this field of exploitation which may lead to a point of changing positions in family life. Accordingly there is a group of workers, which is producing the main output of vegetables in Andalusia – in times of crisis still a comparatively ‘safe’ place to work – with nearly no support of Trade Unions and a strong internal differentiation along gender and status. In my lecture I will concentrate on the situation in Andalusia, south of Spain at the border of the European Union. Especially I will focus on agricultural work and describe how the structural aspects of the production chain and the interdependencies of undocumented work, Trade Unions and the production of cheap vegetables prevent decent work for (all) agricultural workers in the Andalusian farm work. Within this context I will also ask for reasons of the differentiation of work respectively for the effects of ongoing segregation of work by gender and – relating to my headline – talk about decent aspects of work in the agricultural work in Andalusia. I will point out some of my first conclusions on these topics based on selected qualitative empirical examples, which have been researched in the context of my empirical work for my PhD project at the University of Kassel, Sociology of Diversity.


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Invited panel: Production, health and livelihoods in tropical landuse systems

(Friday, 4 July 2014, 9:00 ‐ 10:45, Zeichensaal) The role of pastoral husbandry in development and smallholder livelihoods. Examples from dry tropical West Africa Pierre Hiernaux (Université Paul Sabatier ‐ Toulouse III) A) Introduction. Pastoral husbandry is a livestock breeding system in which livestock are fed almost exclusively by grazing rangelands, fallow lands, stubbles, by contrast with sedentary opportunistic breeding. And in pastoral systems grazing lands are communally managed or public access contrary to ranching. Grazing links the livestock population and its production to the fodder resources of the land. However, grazing resources availability and access vary largely between seasons, years and in space.In adaptation, the strategy of husbandry rely on selective grazing optimised in organising livestock mobility at two scales: daily (or few days) grazing orbits and seasonal regional moves. Public or communal land tenure together with active social networks allow large scale livestock mobility in adaptation with the spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability of drinking water and grazing feeds in Sahel landscapes. Yet, either state control of the land (conservation areas, forest reserves, large management schemes) or privatisation of the land (ranches, titling policies for sedentary farmers) and fragmentation of rangelands threat customary communal land tenure systems. Pastoral charts or laws exist in a number of countries but political will and collective actions are needed to implement them at local to regional scales. B) Pastoral management impact on the ecosystem: multiple interacting processes and overall mild. Among the processes, the short term effect of trampling on soil surface (crust, litter burying) and sub‐surface (compaction) and their indirect effect on vegetation are soil texture specific…The short and long term effects of fodder intake on herbage cover, production, species composition depends on the intensity and timing of grazing. C) The long term effects of nutrient cycling (fodder uptake and excretion deposition) on soil biological activity is key for soil fertility that contribute to vegetation production and species composition… In the wet season the rapid growth of annual herbaceous limits the impact of grazing, while in the dry season trampling straws and litter limits the efficacy of grazing to a maximum of 1/3 of the standing mass at the onset of the season. The organic and nutrient transfer due to livestock grazing and excreting, privilege the soil fertility in a small fraction of the landscape, near settlements and in manured field, to the detriment of the large majority of the lands for which the nutrient balance is only very slightly negative. At long term (several decades) the impact of grazing on the vegetation is modest compared to the impact of variation in rainfall distribution, except on shallow soils where vegetation cover keep decreasing since the last major droughts (1983‐84). C) Diversity of pastoral husbandry in dry tropical Africa: livestock breeds and numbers, productivity and durability. The diversity of pastoral husbandry systems is documented from examples taken in northern Mali and eastern Niger: species and breeds, number of animals. Yet age‐sex composition of the herds is similar for the majority with a large dominance of


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females that indicates the breeding objective of pastoral husbandry associated to very modest dairy production. However, the parameters of reproduction and mortality recorded in monitoring sampled herds, indicate that the productivity is low and that a fraction of pastoral systems are at the edge of viability. None the less livestock production account for a large share of small holder family revenues, even in sedentary mixed farmers. D) Development and smallholder livelihood perspectives in dry tropical Africa. The development perspective differ between pastoral breeding systems for which the productivity and durability would be acquired by securing livestock mobility both locally and regionally, and the sedentary opportunistic livestock production units (fattening, dairy, animal traction) for which improved access to supplement feed, forage crops and easier access to market and credit could ensure development and durability. The two types of livestock production interact on the market (saling/purchasing young males), and in rangeland resources including land tenure issues.

Panel 3a: Livelihood strategies in agriculture

(Friday, 4 July 2014, 11:15 ‐ 13:00, Zeichensaal) Development of solar based technologies for value addition of agricultural products (ICDD research project presentation) Anjum Munir (University of Agriculture Faisalabad), Oliver Hensel (University of Kassel)

Renewable energy resources are very important for Pakistan as it is acutely short of fossil fuels. Amongst renewable sources, solar energy is of special significance as it is abundantly available in the range of 5‐7 kWh m‐2 d‐1. Per capita commercial energy supply in Pakistan is one of the lowest in the world and about 68% of the population lives in the rural areas; most of them have no access to commercial energy. In Pakistan, postharvest losses in fruits and vegetables range from 25‐40% or even greater. The implementations of food processing facilities have been suggested to reduce food losses and to reduce seasonality of food supplies. The solar energy can be successfully used for the processing of perishable agricultural products and non‐traditional high value products at farm level. The work on the developments of solar based technologies for the value addition was initiated under ICDD and DAAD projects. Four solar based technologies viz. solar continuous roaster (CSR), solar distillery, solar tunnel dryer (STD) using glass cover and solar double jacketed autoclave have been developed. CSR comprised of an auger and a cylindrical shell equipped with a feeding hopper and a discharge chute. Thermal oil circuit has a receiver, pump, semi‐circular jacket as well as mountings and fittings to heat the agricultural product using solar energy. CRS can reach a temperature range of 200‐250°C in the beam radiation range of 700‐800 W m‐2. The system can be used for roasting of coffee, ground nuts, pine nuts, corn etc. by maintaining required temperature and retention time. The solar distillery comprised of a primary reflector, secondary reflector, distillation still, condenser and florentine flasks. Different


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medicinal and aromatic plants like Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Cumin, Cloves, Orange peels etc. were processed successfully using solar distillery. The efficiency of solar distillation system was calculated to be 33.21%. Statistical tests have shown that the best fitted model for solar distillation experiments was sigmoid logistic. GCMS tests have shown that quality of solar distilled essential oils was at par with the international standards. Solar tunnel dryer (STD) using glass cover was developed for the dehydration of perishable agricultural products. The collector and drying lengths were 4 and 6 m respectively. Three PV powered DC fans were used to supply air to maintain a temperature in the range of 60‐65°C. A series of experiments were conducted for quality drying of ripened chillies, apples, potatoes and medicinal plants. In solar autoclave system, steam was produced by the receiver located at the focus of Scheffler reflector and transferred to autoclave for sterilization. Biological tests were performed and optimum combination of temperature and pressure were found to be one bar and 121°C respectively by measuring live bacteria count. The results have shown that the solar based technologies can be used for value addition of different agricultural products. In addition, these solar based technologies will generate employment for the farming community. In this way, they can earn money by on‐farm processing of their own agricultural products at low running cost; thus eliminating the role of middleman.

Decency crises in dairying: Where do we stand? Muhammad Younas (University of Agriculture Faisalabad) Animal production is an integral part of the socioeconomic conditions of more than 70 % of the population of Pakistan. Dairying provides livelihood, self‐employment and to earn their bread and butter for their families. The animal wealth is banks on hooves for them which provide the food safety and security. About 35‐40 million people in Pakistan derive their livelihood with livestock production. Peri‐urban dairying is an integral part of the Livestock production system proving food to the urbanites. Gender involvement is also a great factor that involves whole family in various faucets of livestock management. Plenty of chores are undertaken by the women folks and through family labor. The element of decency in the entrepreneurship has a lower priority. Recent studies have ignited this aspect relating to the millennium development goals for proving decent work involving the gender issues. This paper will dwell on the extent and level of wholesomeness of the milk and their products, decency in dairying, gender‐sensitive issues that how much percentage of the production, sale and marketing chores are done by the rural women and their children. The animal workload and related operations provides them satisfaction, employment opportunities, food items to the family, empowerment to the women and not only reduces their poverty but provides them extra cash for food safety and security. Despite of many innovations, the production systems lack in some norms of decent work which can further revolutionize the production systems in the country.


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Panel 3b: Labour on the move: Migrant experiences

(Friday, 4 July 2014, 11:15 ‐ 13:00, H 13) Strategies of empowerment for (migrant) domestic workers (ICDD research project presentation) Helen Schwenken, Lisa‐Marie Heimeshoff, Maren Kirchhoff (University of Kassel) The presentation will give an overview over the projects condcuted within the ICDD research cluster on domestic work (2009‐2014). We will in particular focus on the most recent participatory action project on "Social security needs for domestic workers". Together with organized domestic workers, the research team conducted a study in South Africa and the Netherlands. We will discuss the joy and importance of such projects as well as the challenges with the aim of learning for further particpatory research projects on decent work issues.

The employment status of female return migrants in rural China: A case study in Hunan Province Xi Zhao (University of Kassel) The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) addressed a new target “to achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people (ILO 2009)”.It highlighted the importance of the access to employment to women. Although participation rate for women in the labor force has increased over the years, there is still gender inequality in employment (ILO 2013). In China, the market‐oriented economic reforms since 1970s led to increasing gender inequality in labor market. Compared to men, women have lower level of occupation and income; they experience forced early retirement, resulting in insecurity; they have a higher proportion of laid‐off; and the gender discrimination in hiring exist as well (Wu 2009; Cai 2004). With the influence of the global financial crisis since 2007, the case study in Hunan Province found female return migrants are more likely to be unemployed or engage in part‐time work in rural area (Zhao 2014). Thus, to further explore the employment status and its determinants of women become important to realize the MDGs. Regarding the labor market participation, the neoclassical labor market theory tends to ignore the complexity of individual employment decisions, particularly on the supply side of women. This research explores the female return migrants’ employment status and its major determinants in rural China. It takes look into the female labor participation and touch the issue of unpaid labor to contribute to the existed literature. Based on the field survey in Hunan Province in 2011, this research compares the employment status, income, remittance, and investment between female and male returnees. 420 samples of return


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migrants were collected in the field villages by focus group discussion, questionnaire (snowball sampling), and interview. Probit estimation is used to explore the major determinants of employment status of female return migrants. At the end, policy recommendations to improve women’s employment status in rural areas are put forwarded.

Panel 3c: The social dimension of trade

(Friday, 4 July 2014, 11:15 ‐ 13:00, H 33) Weekly food markets in Pakistan: Implications for employment opportunities of urban and peri‐urban farmers/traders and consumer welfare Abdul Ghafoor (University of Agriculture Faisalabad) Food markets in Pakistan are important source for generating employment opportunities and ensuring consumer welfare. These markets are organized on daily, weekly and occasional basis to serve as link between production and consumption areas. Weekly food markets are organized in urban areas operated by private sector and regulated by public authorities. Mainly urban low income traders and sometimes farmers from peri‐urban areas bring their food products in these markets. Consumers are benefitting in terms of close proximity to fresh food at regulated prices. An investigation was made in Faisalabad city to explore perceptions of sellers and consumers about the importance and working of weekly food markets and their implications for employment opportunities and consumer welfare. In this context, two main weekly markets, one in Batala colony (Sunday market) and other in Madina Town (Friday market) in the Faisalabad city were studied by interviewing a sample of 120 stakeholders, including 60 sellers (30 from each market) and 60 consumers (30 from each market). Likert scale was used to gauge the responses of stakeholders towards various marketing aspects. The analysis of data showed that the majority of the sellers were local traders and only a small number of farmers were coming to sell their food products. The major factors motivating traders to sell in these weekly markets include close proximity and volume of sale. However the traders selling in the markets were not happy with the facilities provided to conduct of business, behaviour of regulatory authorities and price regulations. They were saying that prices are consciously kept low to ensure consumer welfare at the cost of trader’s profit margin. Regarding opportunities for females, few female sellers were doing business in these markets, mainly in fruits, vegetables and home made pickle. However, females were involved in some value added products like peeled garlic, pea grains and pickle. As far as consumers were concerned, they were coming to weekly markets for fair prices, close proximity, variety and freshness of food products, and bulk purchasing at weekend. The majority of the consumers were not happy with the quality offered in the markets and basic facilities. They were saying that although food stuff is available at economical prices, but that compromise the quality offered. The traders suggested that if provided with basic infrastructure and related facilities, these weekly markets can offer a


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good source of livelihood for them. This can also facilitate consumers, thus enhancing their welfare.

The labour movement in Ghana and the challenge of defending the rights and interests of workers Kwabena Otoo (University of Kassel) Labour in Ghana has had a long, patchy and interesting history. Having played a catalytic role in the struggle for independence, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) enjoyed a cozy relationship with the state. This resulted in the implementation of policies that were deemed to be labour friendly including the ratification of important ILO Conventions such as Conventions 87 and 98 on Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining respectively. The unions secured the close shop arrangement and also the check‐off system of dues collection. Union membership increased dramatically. The unions secured more and better benefits for their members. At the same time, labour completely lost its independence as it became subsumed under the structures of the ruling the party. In the period after the overthrow of the first post‐independent government, unions particularly the Trades Union Congress had a frosty relation with the state. The TUC as a federation was abolished; the national unions that made up the TUC were allowed to operate but under contrived conditions. The implementation of Structural Adjustment policies in the early 1980s cut the membership of the unions into half, reducing union finance and influence. The state has retreated almost into irrelevance as market fundamentalism took hold. A reform of the labour law ended the monopoly of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) having introduced trade union pluralism. This has motivated splinter and multiple unions that are weak ideologically and operationally to defend the rights of workers. Guided by history the TUC now professes to be non‐partisan even as it remains political. The TUC has mobilized other labour groups under the umbrella of Organised Labour and has made considerable progress in policy dialogue. But economic policy remains heavily neo‐liberal, growing the economy without creating employment and subjecting labour to penury. Economic policy has remained decidedly on the side of capital. Mass action in support of the demands of labour has remained impossible because, like the rest of the Ghanaian society the labour movement remains extraordinarily partisan evenly split between the two main political parties.


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Panel 4a: Structural challenges – simple solutions?

(Friday, 4 July 2014, 14:45 ‐ 16.15, Zeichensaal) Strategies for overcoming economic inequality (ICDD project presentation) Alexander Gallas (University of Kassel)

The financial crisis and its aftermath have created a strange political interregnum. On the one hand, it is clear that the policies that sowed the seeds of the crisis were the very policies that led to increasing inequality. This basic truth was at the heart of many protests against the dominant approach to political crisis management such as Occupy Wall Street, the Indignados and the political strikes against austerity in Southern and Western Europe. Inequality has genuinely become an issue around which one can build a discourse, and one would hope, an alternative programme. On the other hand, the establishment has managed to “use” the crisis for its own ends: deepening the liberalization agenda. The reasons for this are numerous but for the most part boil down to a failure of progressive forces, among them unions, to articulate a credible alternative. All the same, discursive openings have emerged. It is relevant that the global institutions like the IMF, the OECD and even some conservative politicians feel forced to acknowledge the problem. This raises a series of political questions for trade unions, which will be discussed in this paper: how can they use the discursive openings to mobilize people against inequality? What kind of campaigns should they build on? And what are useful demands, both in terms of gaining support for egalitarian agendas and actually changing the distribution of wealth?

Decent work or decent life? The quest for an economics of "happiness" (ICDD project presentation) Devan Pillay (University of the Witwatersrand) This paper interrogates the concept of Decent Work in light of global capitalism’s inability to create decent jobs for all, and asks whether the more expansive concept of Decent Life is not more appropriate for our times? It uses the theoretical lens of Marx and the Buddha, to re‐conceptualise the notion of ‘development’, growth and societal well‐being. The case studies considers the notion of Gross National Happiness (GNH) as practiced in the state of Bhutan, a predominantly Buddhist country. The GNH Index is a comprehensive tool to measure progress in achieving holistic development, in a context of severe challenges related to democratisation, rising urbanisation, rising consumer expectations and the opening up of the country's economy. The GNH planning commission has to balance the perceived need for growth and formal employment ‐ especially amongst relatively educated urban youth ‐ with achieving ecological balance (including urban‐rural balance) and a decent life for all citizens. Development projects and investment have to pass through a comprehensive GNH


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screening test which tries to preserve this balance. The GNH principle, while not explicitly ‘socialist’, has strong resonance with the ecosocialist principles which have been embraced by Bolivia, and opens up space for a fruitful dialogue between Buddha’s thought – which places emphasis on the inner revolution – and Marx, who focussed on social equality and the transformation of capitalism.

Panel 4b: Labour conditions in Latin America

(Friday, 4 July 2014, 14:45 ‐ 16.15, H 13) Decent work in Brazil: recent improvements for youth and women Paolo Baltar (State University of Campinas) The concept of Decent Work conciliates the goals of creating jobs and the access to productive employment with equal opportunity and rights at work, social protection and promotion of social dialogue. The democratization in Brazil during the 1980s led to the Federal Constitution of 1988 that extended several individual and collective rights. This Constitution reflected the struggle of social groups in extending rights to children, women, aging, blacks and workers. Since 2004, the Brazilian economic growth has increased with rising formal employment and wages, shrinking labor income inequality. Improvements occurred with employment generation, equal opportunities and rights at work, social protection and the promotion of social dialogue. Two public actions were especially important in the 2000 decade: increase in the minimum wage and the Income Transfer Program for families in extreme poverty. The real minimum wage has doubled in 15 years. The increase in the minimum wage helped to raise incomes of working in low‐wage occupations and also raised the value of the minimum social security benefits by increasing the income of more than 30 million people. In addition, the increase in minimum wage was essential to reduce the inequality of labor incomes. The Income Transfer Program for families in extreme poverty benefited 11 million households over 40 million people and was central to the reduction of inequality in household income. The main challenge for striving decent work in Brazil is to keep continued economic growth despite the global crisis and to maintain governments favorable to workers, ensuring an adequate framework to reduce the deficit of decent work. Despite recent advances, there are large decent work deficits. Thus, informality still reaches 43% of workers. Inequality is very high (0.5), women still earn 27% less than men, 8.6% of children and young people work and 41% of workers have no social protection. The challenges in reducing the deficit of decent work are: further reduction of informality, income inequality, gender differences and child work; extend the coverage of social protection; and promote social dialogue.


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Throughout the 2000s there was a revival of the wage labor market, a result of greater dynamism of the Brazilian economy. The expansion of wage employment has occurred in the midst of a significant change in the age composition of the population along with increased female participation and reducing men's participation in the economic activity. Using data from the Censuses of 2000 and 2010, this work shows the changes in the absorption of men and women by economic activity, as well as changes in income differences by gender and age. Thus, this paper focus on wage employment in economic establishment and interpret the changes in the age composition of employees as a strong expansion through the absorption of young people as employees of the establishment and the continuity of people in this type of employment with advanced age. This is more important than a shift of the adult population from other forms of economic activity for employment in the establishment. This dynamic expansion of the labor market highlights the importance of increasing the participation of women economic activity and the continuity of the employment in establishment when women and men become adults.

Social conditions and youth in the Brazilian labor market (2003‐2013) Denis Gimenez, Anselmo Santos (State University of Campinas) The objective of this work is to analyze the pattern of insertion of the young in the Brazilian labor market between 2003 and 2013. It shows that a renewed economic growth, social improvements and advancements in the Brazilian labor market, implied major changes and improvements in the conditions under which young people access the labor market. Such an analysis is justified, first, by the strength of the Brazilian labor market that facilitated the insertion of young people to find their "first job". But, on the other hand, young people are a segment of the workforce with high social vulnerability, with high participation in the labor market associated with degrading forms of labor exploitation, in a structurally heterogeneous labor market, a fact that also has negative effects on their conditions of education. In this sense, portraying the recent dynamism of the Brazilian labor market and its impact on the youth segment of the workforce does not seem sufficient for this analysis. Indeed, recent demographic changes, as well as the impact of social protection and labor market policies, play an important role in the way and the conditions under which the young are going into the national labor market. Because of the dynamism of the labor market, demographic changes, social and labor protection, we should observe, in theory, better conditions for both the labor insertion of young Brazilian and to reduce the high levels of activity in this age segment. The analysis will start from the characterization of the conditions for renewed growth of the Brazilian economy from the biennium 2003/2004. The posterior impacts of this recovery on the Brazilian labor market, with emphasis on information related to youth job placement will be examined. Finally, demographic changes will be addressed whose impacts are visible in the structure of the youth labor force. We will also examine advances of social protection


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and labor market policies (Bolsa Família, Minimum Wage, PROUNI, new vacancies at public federal technical schools and universities) that result in better conditions either for job placement, or for the reduction of the high labor activity rates of Brazilian youth in the period 2004‐2013. Those factors are associated with improvements in some indicators that rises the levels of decent work of this age group.

Lessons from labour struggles for recognition and inclusion in Brazil Paul Hecker (University of Kassel) Formal employment continues to expand in Brazil despite lower economic growth in recent years. While increases in minimum wage and overall demand are attributed to spur the positive trend of formalization, less is known about different paths of formalization. Different paths can be observed when formalization is analysed according to occupational groups, socio‐economic status, skin colour and sex, among others. These differences in formalization processes point towards the complexity of inequality in Brazil, which are drawn along a variety of lines. In order to capture this complexity, a categorization of various dimensions of inequality will be applied to two political processes that are at the core of expressive increases of formalization: the introduction of the legal status as individual microentrepreneur or “Microempreendedor Individual” (MEI) and the legal recognition of domestic workers as workers. By focusing on the role of labour in the political processes of formalization it will be possible to trace different paths of formalization and provide insights into their development. A comparison of both processes will show the importance of labour struggles in the processes of formalization. While the MEI was implemented in a short time span with strong support from employers, the struggle for recognition of domestic workers dates back several decades in Brazil. A series of coalitions and political pressure on local, national and international level was finally able to establish this topic on the political agenda. Understanding the relations between different dimensions of inequality in struggles for formalization and the role of labour in these processes will provide new aspects of the current changes in the Brazilian labour market.


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Panel 4c: Employment creation in rural areas

(Friday, 4 July 2014, 14:45 ‐ 16.15, H 33) Mechanisms to link formal and informal economic activities and actors to improve skills and livelihoods in Tanzania Mammo Muchie (Tshwane University of Technology) Five transformative shifts have been proposed for the post MDG 2015 agenda, one of them being to “transform economies for jobs and inclusive growth”. Emphasis is put on improved business climate, skill development, sustainable development and improvement of livelihoods by harnessing innovation and technology as well as diversified economies with opportunities for all (social inclusion). A remaining question is whether increased skills and an improved business environment will sufficiently address the concerns of small‐holders and urban dwellers in the informal economy. Given this relevant question, the new agenda has to address issues of social and economic inclusion of marginalized groups of people. One concrete task is therefore to connect people of rural and urban areas to the modern economy. Therefore, platforms and mechanisms through which this can happen have to be explored and analyzed. Using the MDG off track and on track index we are tracking the progress in the area of MDG 1 for the specific case of Tanzania to set the scene. Based on this, the paper continues with an investigation of a case of collaboration between the University of Dar es Salaam and the Zanzibar Seaweed Cluster with the aim to a) analyze the role of the university in the skill development of the participating firms in the Seaweed Cluster and b) the actors and tasks in the process towards the production of high quality seaweed and the utilization of the seaweed in the country and East Africa by producing value‐added products for food and income diversification. Based on the assessments of our findings we derive and propose contributions to the post MDG 2015 agenda

Employment and labour market policies in the Global South Annette Mummert (GIZ Advisor) Employment promotion is a cross‐cutting issue. This means that in order to create employment a set of different labour market and employment policy instruments rather than one single instrument needs to be employed. Though there is a wealth of information on the effectiveness of labour market‐related instruments these instruments are usually analysed separately. Interactions with other instruments or questions of the right mix of different measures are seldom addressed. Adding to this, most labour market policies and instruments are analysed in the context of developed countries, making it hard to transfer knowledge to the situation of e.g. promoting employment in rural areas of low income


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countries. So far, we find only a small number of available effectiveness analyses of individual instruments from developing countries. This is not a sufficient knowledge basis for discussing ways to create employment in the development cooperation context. In the presentation an overview is given regarding the main characteristics and challenges of labour market policy packages in the global south. Labour market policy packages in developing countries show some similarities to those in the industrialized world: Similarities are seen regarding the setting of labour market regulations, basic types of labour market administration with a ministry as the central controlling power and public employment services that offer at least placement services, and the use of active labour market policies. Beyond this basic structure, enormous differences can be found in the configuration of labour market and employment policy measures. These differences have implications for policy design and policy advise.

Invited panel: The future of MDGs

(Friday, 4 July 2014, 16.45 ‐ 18.30, Zeichensaal) Causes for not meeting the 2015 MDGs by looking at Latin America and the Caribbean countries Bernd Reiter (Universidad del Norte) Comparing the experiences of selected Latin America and the Caribbeancountries and their trajectories over the past 15 years offers rich insights into the dynamics and causes for not meeting the 2015 MDGs. They also offer clues for post‐MDG strategies. Central to achieving sustainable growth are government policies able to support small and medium‐sized farms and peasants, as they are crucial for the achievement of several goals, centrally: to achieve food security; to provide a sound and stable rural environment able to resist external (financial) shocks; to secure healthy food; to provide local food; and to protect vibrant and culturally rich local communities. This paper analyses and compares the most successful government policies to the least successful policies carried out over the last 15 years in selected Latin American and Caribbean countries and based on this analysis, offers strategies for more promising post‐MDG politics, able to reduce poverty, reduce inequality, fight back informality, and achieve more decent work in poor countries.


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Having won the ILO Convention ’Decent Work for Domestic Workers’: Why change is so difficult to achieve Helen Schwenken (University of Kassel) Since 2011 the newest ILO convention "Decent Work for Domestic Workers" has been ratified by a significant number of countries. The convention is considered a landmark in providing a wide range of rights for precariously employed, informal workers. The presentation, however, will argue that the implementation of the convention's content is highly difficult, not least because of the specifics of the sector, which is based upon deep gender, racial and North‐South inequalities and discriminations. I argue that an ideational dividing line between considering domestic work as „work as no other“ and „work as any other“ remains. This is embedded in different types of gender regimes, which in one way or the other relegate reproductive work to female family members and/or sources it out to domestic workers.�he convention‘s direct impact as a legal instrument is limited. Instead, its significance lies, first, in its function as an organizing tool for domestic workers and trade unions. It, second, invites domestic workers to creatively reappropriate the law as a societal terrain to increase the legitimacy of their claims.

This conference is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) under its programme “Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation” (exceed)

abstract collection atc 2014 26-6...in 2000, the united nations set ambitious goals for the world,...

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